Always Return to Me
by Azura Swan
Summary: Tidus proposed a month after he returned, the day Bevelle was destroyed. A forgotten enemy wanted the power that was never granted him, and he wanted Yuna. New weapons, new bad guys, new problems, and a lot more action. TxY RxG PxB
1. Chapter 1 A Day at the Beach

**This story has gone through a revamp! The first chapters were put together, but not much has changed. So previous readers just need to go to the last few chapters to catch up. **

**Well, I was in the middle of a Chronicles of Narnia fanfic when I lost interest, actually just lost my direction. Besides, this is the story I've been daydreaming of for the past 2 weeks and I'm very excited to finally write it.**

**Yuna and Tidus are readlly the cutest couple. And their story is soooo romantic that no one can resist writing their own version of FFX-3 after finishing the games.**

**Just FYI, this is **_**my**_** story, and I might be changing some facts from the game to make it believable. So I'm sorry to all the Final Fantasy fanatics who will burn me for the mistakes. But it's only a few details about the history and geography.**

**I've already wrote the "His Return" scene in another fanfic (which you should totally check out since a few references might be made to it), and, seriously, I never really liked that scene in Zanarkand where Yuna pushes him in the water. I know it's an important explanation of what happened, but they should have at least made the last shot of the game with them embracing, not her looking down at him.**

**And I'm not going to take the time to go around introducing Tidus to all the new characters. I just want to get to the main story.**

**Speaking of which, I'll shut up now and let you read it.**

**Final Fantasy belongs to Square, who I am eternally grateful to for releasing the games.**

* * *

Yuna was lying on her beach towel spread out on the sand. One arm was flung over her eyes. Nearby, she could hear splashes, and she peaked out from under her arm toward the large expanse of Besaid's crystal water. The sunlight reflecting off the water stung her eyes, but she squinted through to the source of the approaching splashes.

It really was a sight to behold. A boy was walking out of the surf towards the beach, the sunlight glinting in his golden locks and water dripping off his skin. He had stripped out of the typical uniform he usually wore and was bare except for a pair of black shorts. Yuna couldn't help but be grateful to whatever coach must have put him through hours of intense exercise. Those abs alone were enough to give her goose bumps.

He had reached the beach and was walking toward her, so she quickly set her arm back and closed her eyes, keeping completely still.

His footsteps were muffled by the sand, but she could faintly hear him getting closer. Finally she felt a shadow fall over her and block out the warmth of the sunshine. He was standing right over her, and she tried hard not to smile as she feinted sleep, but it was hard to be serious when she wanted to laugh.

Suddenly large droplets fell onto her face, startling her into a sitting position and making her yelp out loud. He laughed at her as he finished ringing the water out of his hair and onto her.

"Oh, real mature," She scoffed and he laughed harder. Angrily she grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at him. It struck dead center and stuck to his damp chest.

He looked from his sandy chest to her and lunged for her. "I'll show you mature."

Squealing, Yuna scrambled out of the way just in time and he managed to capture only her towel. As he struggled to untangle himself from the towel, Yuna jumped to her feet and ran down the beach. She didn't get far for he caught her within moments, sweeping her up off her feet and into his arms.

"Tidus!" she cried, trying to sound stern, but she was just laughing too hard. She kicked her feet playfully and wrapped her arms around his neck. His smile was radiant as he looked at her, but then it turned mischievous. He spun with her in his arms and began to walk toward the water.

"Oh, no you don't! I just dried off!" She began to kick harder. She was pleasantly warm from her sun bath and if she went in the water now, it would be bitterly cold until she got used to it again.

"You need to learn some manners. You don't go around throwing sand at people." He was in the water by now, and walking out until it reached his mid-thigh. Yuna clutched him tighter, the water only a few inches away from her bikini.

"Now what will you give me not to drop you into the treacherous and frigid water?" he asked in mock seriousness. His blue eyes were gleaming with mischief and delight. "A kiss from your lovely lips might suffice."

Yuna immediately leaned upward and pressed her lips to his. _'Oh I love how soft his lips are. Even if they are salty at the moment.'_

She pulled away and looked at him expectantly. He licked his lips then shrugged. "Hmm, very good, but not good enough." And he dropped her into the waves.

Yuna came up sputtering sea water. Her eyes blazed fire as she splashed water at him. "That's it! I'm never speaking to you again."

She dropped down underwater and took off for deeper waters. Of course he followed her. He caught her around the middle and pulled her back to the surface. His arms gentled around her as he stood her up in the shallows.

"That was barely a kiss. Try again, Yuna. This is a real kiss." And his lips descended to hers again. Soft and sweet, his lips were a erotic caress against her own. His arms reached further around her and wrapped her up in tenderness. She settled into them. _'Mmm, he was right, this is a real kiss.'_

Without warning, she jumped up against him, trying to get more of his kiss. Startled, he stumbled back and fell into the surf, pulling her with him. The water closed over their heads, but they didn't mind as long as their lips never lost contact.

Beneath the surface of the water, they twirled and spun, forgetting everything else as they kept kissing. The water currents pushed them along and they let themselves be moved whichever way, as long as the swirling waters kept them together.

Both were reminded of their favorite memory, the spring outside the Macalania forest, and their very first kiss. The water had trustingly carried them along then, too, as they reveled in their newfound love. It made them happy to know they were together again to experience new moments such as these.

There had been such a period of uncertainty, then. When they were absolutely sure she wasn't going to be around anymore, having given her life to defeat Sin, then just when they had decided they were not going to sacrifice her life, it was him that went away in the end.

His memories of being in the Farplane were incomplete and vague, but he had known it was miserable because he didn't have her. There hadn't been a day that had gone by this pass month where he didn't thank the Fayth for giving him his life back, for bringing him back to her.

Her memories of the last two years were not much better; desperately searching for him, for some clue that he was still alive, while everyone tried to tell her there could be no hope. Then there was the deception of false hope and mistaken identity when she believed Shuyin was him returned to her, and suffering the disappointment that it wasn't was like losing him all over again.

Her hand moved behind his neck and into his hair, waving in the current of the water. His hand came up and cupped her cheek, holding her mouth to his as they deepened the kiss. The bubbles swirled around them as they turned over again.

All those unhappy memories were behind them. He was back, and they were together again. How they had arrived at this moment wasn't important, the only thing that mattered was that they were here now, and they were making more memories like the one from Macalania.

Though Yuna could hold her breath longer now than she could when they were in Macalania, they both eventually ran out of air and had to surface.

"So that's your idea of teaching someone a lesson," she said from his embrace. He softly kissed her cheek and trailed his lips to her ear.

"You're the only one who would ever be taught that lesson," he whispered, and Yuna shivered, turning her head to recapture his lips.

As much as Tidus enjoyed their underwater kisses, he was concerned about disturbing any fiends this far from shore, especially if he was going to let himself be distracted from his awareness of the surroundings. So he took Yuna's hand and led her back to the beach.

He found her towel in a heap on the sand. He picked it up and shook it out before he spread it out again and laid down himself.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he folded both arms behind his head and closed his eyes.

"Taking your spot from you. You rested long enough while I was swimming; now it's my turn for a break."

She huffed in exasperation, but before she could stoop down and throw another handful of sand at him, he sat up and reached for her arm, pulling her down with him. Their lips found each other immediately, and it was like they had never parted.

Lazily they kissed and talked and caressed each other as the afternoon went on. Neither of them was in a hurry to leave. After their busy week in Bevelle, meeting with members of the Youth League and New Yevon, they were ready to enjoy some alone time.

Yuna peppered kisses along his chin. "What do you think everybody thought this morning when we weren't there to make our grand exit?"

They were supposed to leave this morning at nine on a ship and sail for Besaid. That had been their original plan, but somehow it had leaked out to the press. It had unofficially been decided there would be a send-off party for them, compliments of people of Bevelle.

Tidus had known how exhausted Yuna was after her week as mediator between Youth League and New Yevon division leaders, and he knew the last thing she needed was another big public appearance. He had already met Shelinda and decided the girl was a little shark when it came to getting a story involving the former High Summoner.

Instead, he had used to the commsphere, a handy little device Yuna had shown him how to work, and called the Gullwings. Then last night, as soon as the last meeting was over around dinnertime, he led Yuna out of the conference room and through a maze of back hallways in the building and down the narrow alleys of dark streets. They arrived at the docks within minutes, and there was the Gullwing's ship, the Celsius, waiting to take them both home.

Rikku had been practically doing cartwheels at the thought of a secret mission to smuggle Yuna and Tidus out of Bevelle. Ever since Yuna had introduced him to the public as her boyfriend, they had been the talk of Spira. The newspapers were constantly filled with stories about them and whatever they were doing. Every gossip column agreed they were the cutest couple that had ever been seen.

Tidus accompanied Yuna everywhere; she barely ever let him out of her sight, and he was reluctant to be from her side. He was her main council and confidant during her meetings, and he always stood behind her while she gave speeches at the podium, ready to offer advice or support. He had also taken it upon himself to be her head of security, shooing away reporters and fans when he decided Yuna had had enough. Instead of being offended, the mobbing fans usually sighed at his romantic protective side.

It was surprising how quickly the people of Spira had accepted him, but that may have been attributed to the fact that he was her hunky former guardian, and he still claimed that position. The women absolutely adored him, and the men, after watching him fill in and perform at a couple blitzball games, were possibly more in love with him than the women. Several professional teams had already offered him permanent positions, but he had declined them all so far.

The Youth League and New Yevon representatives had been constantly trying to win him over to their side of the debates. To have an ally so close to the High Summoner would greatly increase their influence over Spira.

In the last month, a lot of progress had been made between the two opposing factions, mostly due to Yuna's mediator skills. The Machine Faction had been busy earning respect for the Al Bhed, too. When it had been publically made known that the High Summoner was half Al Bhed (thanks to a few snooping reporters), there was hardly a place left in Spira where people were scorned just for their race.

Nooj, Gippal, and Baralai had been working hard along side her, mostly taking on the little problems and having her stand in as referee when the complex ones got out of hand. Everyone would agree to whatever the High Summoner wanted to do, that was one thing they all had in common. And it was for that reason that Yuna had spent the last week in Bevelle at all those meetings.

Tidus, too, had turned out to be quite a diplomat, usually seeing right through complex issues and stating the simplest solution as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Surprising, he was a fast learner when it came to politics, and he was quickly becoming as much a respected moderator as Yuna. Though both sides were still skirmish, New Yevon and the Youth League were learning to live with each other and accept their differences.

So, thus far, Tidus and Yuna had been labeled as the ideal couple, with no scruples or marks on their perfect relationship. The perfect leaders for the new age. To Spira, they were epiphany of love and happiness.

Well that might be true, but the stress of the public life was making them weary.

The Gullwings had flown them back to Besaid late last night, and they had fallen right into bed. They had slept late this morning, both of them peacefully asleep in each other's arms. And after lunch, Tidus had led her to this private cove for an afternoon of delights.

'_And indeed, it has been delightful,'_ Yuna thought as she lay her head on Tidus' chest, his heartbeat a lulling rhythm beneath her ear.

"They will just have to accept that the Lady Yuna was done with red carpets."

"Hmm?" she asked lazily. Yuna had been so lost in her thoughts, and was just so content, she had already forgotten what she had asked a moment before.

His hand was stroking the back of her head, creating a warm feeling of comfort inside her. "They will need to understand that you and I are done being their headliners for a while. Maybe they will learn to get their own lives."

She looked up at him. "Could it be that the infamous Sir Tidus had finally begun to tire of the public's eye?" she asked teasingly.

His azure eyes were warm as he laid a hand on her cheek and gazed upon her. "I've figured out that some things are more important than playing around for the cameras." He gave a teasing smirk as he said, "Not that we shouldn't do some goofing off, but only after."

"After what?" she asked absently, drawing little circles with one finger on his shoulder.

"Yuna," he said softly, and his tone brought her gaze up to his. "I know so much has changed in the last two years, the world you knew has been completely remade, and it is still shifting into its new form. Even you have changed, but for the better. My only regret is not being here with you to watch it happen."

"It's not like that was your fault," she interrupted, kissing his palm that rested on her face.

"But regardless," he went on, "I don't want to miss anything else. And I never want anyone to ever tell me again that I'm not allowed to love you." He took a deep breath. "Yuna, will you marry me?"

She had a quick flashback to the other times she had heard those words. The first had been Seymore's proposal, a hated memory she didn't dwell on, and then the Al Bhed leaders, Youth League captains, and New Yevon ambassadors who had asked for her hand after Sin had been defeated. But none of them made her want to give the answer she now gave to her Tidus, along with her whole heart.

"I already made this decision long ago. You have always been my one and only choice. Yes, Tidus. Yes and a million more yeses!" She leaned up and kissed him again, he joyously returned it. But both of the were smiling so much with happiness all they really got was teeth, so she rubbed the tip of her nose along his handsome face.

"Wait," he said and levered himself into a sitting position. This left her straddling his hips and she blushed bright red, but when she tried to move away his hand came up on her thigh and held her where she was. Yuna blushed harder, but Tidus was busy reaching over to the beach bag they had brought with them.

After digging around in one of the outside pockets of the bag, he pulled out a small pouch and brought it to his lap. Yuna watched as he opened the leather pouch and pulled out a folded silk cloth. With both hands, he reverently unfolded the cloth and presented it to her.

Against the white silk was a gold ring.

Yuna was having a hard time remembering how to breathe as Tidus caught her hand and slid the ring onto her third finger. Her eyes were fixated on the set stones. Between two white diamonds was a bright sapphire, as bright and lovely a blue as ... his eyes. She was speechless.

Several seconds passed, but she didn't even notice the silence. It was awkward for him, though, to watch her stare at his token of love without saying a word. "Uh, I thought you would like the indigo blue better because it would remind you of ..."

'_Your eyes?'_ she wondered as she looked up into the twin orbs that matched her ring.

He was indicating the sea. "Besaid's beach. It was here, in Besaid, where you grew up and we first met, after all."

The stone did resemble the bright tropical waters of Besaid, but every time she looked at the ring, she would only think of his eyes and how they looked at this moment, shining with love and a small bit of vulnerability. He was boyishly uncertain as he awaited her response, and she found it positively adorable.

Her ringed hand came up to his cheek. "I love it." She placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "And I love you, Tidus. And ... I can't wait to say I'm your wife."

She kissed him again, pouring all her love and joy into it. They lost track of time again as they lost themselves in each other and their kisses.

It amazed Yuna how much she enjoyed kissing. _His_ kisses, to be exact. Only his kisses. She had definitely come a long way from her first impression of affectionate kisses.

With a moment of darkness, she remembered her first kiss ever: the dreadful wedding kiss given to her by Maester Seymore. Even though she had told herself she was only doing it only to save her friends at the time, she had had a girlish curiosity to find out what the fuss over kissing was about.

Too say it had been unpleasant would be an understatement. Seymore's boldness and insolence had only angered her more than she had already been, and the kiss had been so nauseating she had almost collapsed in sickness when it ended.

When Seymore had given the order to kill her guardians after the terrible kiss she had just endured, her anger had caused her to snap and forget her disgust. Immediately following had been her desperate jump from the tower and her escape to the temple of the Fayth. There had been a moment, while she was on Valefor, that she had thought to herself that kissing was possibly the worst thing ever thought up. She had sworn to herself she would never, ever, kiss another man again. Her fear and determination had clouded out the rest of that day and everything that came afterward, but that tragic moment was forever etched in her mind.

However, her vow had not lasted long. While she had been in that spring in Macalania, thinking over all that had happened and wallowing in her despair, he had been there, at her side and filling her mind with impossible dreams. Her Tidus, her beloved Tidus, had given her the greatest comfort ever.

Before she had decided to go ahead and swear off men forever, he had kissed her with all the tenderness and affection that she had expected in her girlish dreams. To see him smiling, feel his soothing touches, and share his joy over their newfound love had erased any damage Seymore's dominance had done. Even if their time had been cut short because she couldn't hold her breath underwater for long, it had still been the most precious experience of her whole pilgrimage.

Now, lying on the beach of Besaid, her home, with the man of her dreams, a man that she had chosen this time, she could feel the deepest sense of healing to her soul. Her future looked so bright in this moment. No matter what was to come, she had him back with her, and she wasn't ever going to let him be taken from her again. They would be together forever.

Suddenly, Yuna became aware of a dark shadow over her, and this time, it wasn't Tidus.

The next thing she knew, she had been roughly torn away from his arms.

She was set aside none too gently, and her feet didn't have time to get underneath her, so she fell down to her knees.

Behind her, she heard Tidus yelp in pain and quickly turned to see.

Wakka had Tidus in a chokehold under his arm. "What did you do to Yuna to make her do _that_ in public?"

Tidus was too busy trying to push Wakka off to get a breath that he didn't answer.

"Wakka, for goodness sake, let him go!" Yuna got to her feet and tried to pull Wakka's arm away from Tidus' throat.

"I don't think so. Yuna, you would never be so blatant in public-"

"We are NOT in public," she yelled at him, still trying to wrestle Tidus from his grip.

They were in a perfectly secluded cove, about an hour from the village, and there was no chance of anyone coming upon them without the intention of looking for them, just like Wakka seemed to have done. Otherwise, Wakka was right; she would never be so demonstrative with an audience.

Wakka had grown up on the teachings of Yevon, and they were still a large part of who he was. And the teachings were strict on the rules of courtship. He had been edgy this whole month with the two of them together, and he always seemed to find a reason to disturb them when they tried to find a moment alone.

"This is not you, Yuna. And if it's not you, it's him. Now what did he say to get you on top of him and … kiss?"

Yuna put her hands on hips in exasperation. She loved Wakka like a brother, but she wasn't a little kid that needed protection or permission.

"For your information, he asked me to marry him!" She thrust her engagement ring in front of Wakka's stunned face. He stared blankly at the stone for a moment while Tidus continued to struggle.

"Now let him go!" Wakka obeyed, but he still seemed to be a daze. Tidus coughed and rubbed his neck. Yuna put her hand against his shoulder; she would've massaged his bruised throat for him if Wakka hadn't been watching.

"Well, that's … great, ya?" Wakka said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Even though she was agitated over what he had done to Tidus, he looked so uncomfortable and embarrassed that Yuna felt sorry for him.

She gave him a smile. "Come on, Wakka, be the first to congratulate us." He perked back up at her happy tone and obliged, giving her a hug and a kiss, and then clapping Tidus on the back.

"Well how about that, eh? What made you finally decide to do it?" he asked Tidus, who had gotten his breath back just to have it knocked back out again by Wakka pounding on his back.

"Well," he said breathlessly, "I figured I had another week before Cid pulled a piece on me and demanded I do right by his niece."

Wakka laughed at that. Cid had been thrilled to meet Tidus again, and apparently he had already given his approval of the former guardian. But lately when he saw Tidus, he seemed to be expecting something from him and annoyed that he hadn't yet delivered.

"You proposed because Cid has been pressuring you?" Yuna asked aghast.

"Hey, that is a veritable reason to do so. Have you met your uncle? Moreover, have you met Wakka?"

"What do I have to do with this?" Wakka whined.

"Well, it would be nice if you weren't always hovering over us whenever we are here."

"Hovering? You both need a chaperone! And after what I just saw here today, I can tell …"

But Tidus had stopped listening, because he realized Yuna had walked off toward the water again. Actually no, she was stomping off and stopping at the water's edge.

He left Wakka and went after her.

She heard his approach and held woodenly stiff as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. He pulled her back against his chest as she stared off into the water.

"Yuna …?"

"Will we always be controlled by those around us?" She bit the words out angrily. "Will our lives ever be our own? Even your proposal was influenced by someone else." She wasn't actually mad at him, just at their situation.

Her entire life had been dictated by what everyone else expected of her. In the last few years, she had begun to understand how much she didn't like it. Hated it, in fact. She thought she had been getting away from public decree when she had joined the Gullwings, but she had still ended up saving Spira from Vegnagun and presiding over those meetings in Bevelle. Would her life ever be her own? Or was her choice of Summoner going to haunt them forever?

He turned her around in his arms and looked right into her eyes. All the playfulness was gone from his face, there was only sternness, and it frightened her a little. She had only seen him like this when he was fighting.

"I want to marry you, Yuna, because it's what _I_ want to do. It's true that I don't want Cid's or Wakka's evil eyes on us anymore, but mostly, I just want to look at you everyday for the rest of our lives and see you smile in happiness. And I want to be the one to put that smile there."

She buried her face into his bare chest and returned the embrace. "I made my choice long ago, Tidus. You, only you, and no one else will ever make me truly happy. I can only hope to make you as happy as you make me."

"You already do," he whispered to her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I'm sorry. I'm still just really stressed over the past week."

"You have every reason to be. It's okay, Yuna. We'll stay here for as long as it takes to recuperate." For a few moments, they didn't move, just held each other and enjoyed the last of their day on the beach.

"Now come on, we have to go tell Lulu," he said, with a grin.

She nodded, blissfully happy again, and led the way back to the beach bag. Wakka watched them from a distance, for once intelligent enough to know not to interrupt them. She packed up the sunscreen and towels as he pulled his clothes back on over his black shorts. Yuna was a little sad to see all that marvelous bare skin covered up again.

He was still halfway through dressing when she pulled out her garment grid and changed back into her Gullwing outfit in a matter of seconds. He made a face at her as he pulled several straps over his shoulders.

"Well, it's not my fault you couldn't find a dress sphere with a swim suit," she said. He didn't reply, just finished dressing without complaints, then he took the beach bag from her and swung it over his shoulder.

"You two about ready?" Wakka called. Yuna answered that they were and walked over to join him.

"Come on, then. Lulu's got supper ready by now." Wakka took off down the path.

"But it's an hour's walk back." Yuna called.

"I brought the shuttle." Wakka called back over his shoulder, not breaking his stride.

He had gotten the machina shuttle as a present from Cid as a show of good faith from the Al Bhed. There really hadn't been any need, but ever since Wakka had learned to drive the land roving machina, he had only praise for all things machina. He encouraged everyone in the village to try out new machina.

Apparently he had left the shuttle somewhere farther back along the trail while he searched for them because they were walking about ten minutes and they still couldn't see it.

"I had no idea it had gotten so late," Tidus said as he looked the sky which was growing orange.

"I think it was because you were busy with something else," Yuna teased. He looked down at her. He had gotten used to her new spunkiness, but it still surprised him when she was so bold at times like this.

They let Wakka walk ahead of them. She brushed her hand against his and he took it, intertwining their fingers together. In silence they walked along, there was no need for words. Her head leaned on his shoulder and he thought he heard her hum "my choice."

The trail opened onto a clearing and they found Wakka already behind the wheel of his machina shuttle. "Climb on up," he called.

The shuttle had no roof, but it did have enough comfortable seats for ten people, and there was a storage area beneath the sitting area. It was bright yellow and blue, and it was Wakka's new pride and joy. He would take any excuse to haul rock or wood for any of the villagers in Besaid if it meant showing off his machina shuttle.

Tidus helped Yuna up into the high seat then boosted himself up. Wakka revved the engine and they took off down the path.

Tidus leaned back in his seat, his arms propped up on the seats beside him, and looked up at the orange sky. Yuna leaned her head on his shoulder again and looked up too. Wakka was facing the other way, concentrating on driving, so he didn't see them getting cozy.

"See any stars yet?" she asked him.

"Uh-huh, the evening star is right there." He pointed. "Make a wish."

She closed her eyes and made a wish with her whole heart.

"What did you wish for?" he asked.

"I can't tell or it won't come true, and I really want it to come true."

He raised an eyebrow. "Should I be concerned? It does involve me, doesn't it?"

She gave him a little shove. "You are so conceited. What did you wish for?"

"That you would tell me what your wish is," he said with a charming smile.

"Well, too bad. You just told me your wish, and now it won't come true."

"Oh my, I swear I just heard Rikku's voice come out of your mouth. You know, you really have become quite a brat."

"Takes one to know one," she shot back.

His finger tapped her on her nose. "I find it quite cute, actually."

"Would you two quit it!" came Wakka's voice. "I'm trying to drive here, and listening to lovey-dovey talk is ruining my driving mood."

"Driving mood?"

"He means he can't feel all tough and macho in the pilot's seat when he's thinking about Lulu," Yuna explained. She reached forward and patted Wakka on the shoulder. "It's okay, Wakka, both Lulu and I know your big and strong and a tough guy."

Tidus tried very hard not to burst out laughing, but he was loosing that battle. Wakka turned around and looked at Yuna, something akin to wonder and shock on his face.

"Yuna, you have completely changed from the girl I grew up with. What happened to the sweet and timid girl I used to know? I don't know whether I should blame Tidus or Rikku or both."

Yuna blushed scarlet and looked down at the floor of the shuttle. Wakka, satisfied that she was finally embarrassed, turned back to the road.

It was true that she had never been this bold growing up. She had always been the kind, shy one, and everyone had always protected her from any harsh criticism or teasing. Then she had begun training to be the High Summoner, and her life had been nothing but seriousness after that. She hadn't had time for sarcasm or pranks or jokes like the others, and only recently had she begun discovering that part of her.

Of course it was Tidus and Rikku's fault, and the Gullwings, too. They were bringing out a side of her she had never known existed, and she liked it. It was okay to be reckless and make mistakes now; she didn't have to worry about disappointing an entire world. _'But am I completely changing from the person I was?'_

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up into Tidus's eyes. "You're still the same girl I fell in love with," he whispered so Wakka wouldn't hear. "You're just human now, not the untouchable and unattainable High Summoner you once were. Now, you are my Yuna."

'_His Yuna.'_ She liked the sound of that.

"Maybe this is who I was supposed to be all along. Who I would've been if Sin had never existed, or I didn't decide to follow my father's footsteps."

"Maybe," he whispered, and his eyes said the rest. He loved her, believed in her, and would support any decision she made. That unconditional love was what gave her strength to keep discovering herself.

"Here we are," cried Wakka. He parked the land machina outside the village and jumped out. Tidus got down first, and then turned to help her. She put her hands on his shoulders and he held her waist. Slowly he let her slide down to the ground, just the way she preferred. Their eyes were locked on each other, unspoken words passing between them.

"Hurry up, you two," called Wakka. He had taken the beach bag and was already heading into the village. "I'm hungry for supper."

"I am too," Tidus confessed.

"But that isn't anything new," she giggled. He smiled back and placed his arm around her shoulders. Together they walked into the village.

As they approached Lulu and Wakka's hut, Rikku came running out, much more excited than usual, if that were possible.

'_Oh no, did Wakka already tell her about the engagement? That's not fair. It was our news to tell!'_ thought Yuna.

"I have the most incredible news to tell you two!" cried Rikku, her arms waving in the air and her braids flying crazily.

"We have something incredible to tell you, too," said Tidus as he glanced down to Yuna.

'_How did I ever get so lucky as to have someone like him?'_ she thought distractedly. It appeared Rikku had something to say too, so she could still have the pleasure of telling her cousin about the engagement.

It was only then that Yuna noticed the look of horror on Rikku's face.

"You are not going to believe this. Bevelle has been destroyed!"

Yuna had two reflexes to Rikku's announcement. The first was to clutch the arm around Tidus' waist even tighter, and the second was to put her other hand on the butt of her pistol. Though she didn't know which one she clutched for protection and which one for comfort.

Rikku was still shouting excitedly, detailing what little she knew, but Yuna's mind seemed to have blanked as the horror sank in.

Bevelle, the most beautiful city in Spira, where she had just spent the past week of her life, it had been … destroyed?!

But they had just been there. She and Tidus had just attended a conference meeting there last night, listening to an Al Bhed captain talk about expanding Home. They had all just been there at the docks last night when the Gullwings picked them up to make a secret departure back to Besaid. All of that was destroyed?

'_We were just there!'_ she thought with panic. How many times had she come close to dying, only to avoid it by barely a margin? And now again, she had just escaped with her life, brushing against death like some passerby,... but ... what cost…?

Her mind began dissolving in fear, her thoughts splintering with the terror. When she tried to reach them, they slipped away like water in her hands.

'_What's … happening … ?'_

"YUNA! Snap out of it!"

Tidus was before her, shaking her by the shoulders, worry apparent in his face as he searched her glazed-over eyes.

"Huh?"

"Welcome back. You completely checked out on us. Come on, Paine is on the commsphere, waiting to talk to us."

'_Paine? Paine was in Bevelle with us. She was doing some work for Baralai. Oh no, she's been hurt! Or worse! And that means she…'_

Tidus gave her another little shake, bringing her out of her reverie. Yuna gave herself a mental shake. There was no time to let herself be petrified by fright. Paine needed her, it was that simple. She would do anything for her friend, and that included not freaking out.

Tidus was still watching her anxiously. He had grabbed her when her knees had almost given away, and he had watched her little mental vacation. He wasn't going to let her go if she was still shaky.

"Right. Let's go," Yuna said assertively, trying to ease his concern.

To prove she was fine, she pushed pass him and entered Wakka and Lulu's hut ahead of him. Brother and Buddy were already there, sitting stiffly on Lulu's couch and being strangely quiet for once. They were watching Rikku, who was speaking hysterically into the commsphere she held in front of her.

"- just got back. When I told them, Yunie went into shock! This is terrible! How are we going-"

Brother jumped up from his spot on the couch, cutting Rikku off. "Yuna! Rikku said you fainted! Bad, bad, not good! I knew _he_ couldn't-"

"Brother, Rikku, I'm fine," Yuna interrupted. Brother took a step toward her, his face filled with alarm, but she held up a hand to stop him. "You can sit back down, Brother. I don't plan to break apart."

She appreciated Brother's concern for her, but she didn't have time to ward off his infatuations. Though she had just been condemning her position just less than an hour ago, Yuna knew, as a summoner, it was her unofficial duty to comfort her people in times of distress.

"Yuna?" came Paine's small voice from the commesphere.

Yuna took the commesphere from Rikku and turned up the volume. "Yuna here. Paine, what's happened?"

"Oh Yuna, it's been completely dreadful!" Through the sphere, Yuna could see the warrior was covered in dust and her clothes were torn. Paine was as close to tears as Yuna had ever seen her. Her shoulders slumped; she looked completely defeated and exhausted.

"It's okay, Paine. It will be okay. Just tell me what happened," Yuna said soothingly.

"It was around noon today that we saw the airships. Very small airships. They came over the city, flying low, but-but not putting down landing gear. They were this strange color, not like anything I've ever seen. They- there was … something that fell from them. Several somethings, but we were so far away we didn't even know if they were real…"

Paine was babbling, or at least very close to it. Her words came out in a jumble and Yuna had to sort through them to understand what she was saying. She had never seen Paine like this.

"Then, they flew off, and we went back to eating. B-but, almost as soon as they were gone, the explosions started, ... so many explosions. All large fireballs on the buildings and all over the city. Then the buildings started crumbling, falling over. It was like watching sandcastles being washed away. And when we got closer, we heard … the screaming…"

Paine disappeared from the viewscreen. Overcome with emotion, she couldn't speak anymore. In the background there was some muttering, then Baralai appeared onscreen. His face was just as dusty and ragged as Paine's had been.

"Lady Yuna! At last. The commespheres have been malfunctioning all afternoon. Only an hour ago were we finally able to get word out to the anyone else about what happened."

"What's the situation?" Tidus asked over Yuna's shoulder.

"We wish we knew. We spent the entire afternoon pulling people out of the rubble and tending to their injuries. We've run out of potions and everything is completely in ruins."

Baralai now looked close to tears himself. "The temple is gone. It's nothing but a pile of stones. The Cloister of Trials, the chamber of the Fayth, all the documents, all that history, all the teachings... gone. Lost forever. They're just ... gone."

His image vanished and the commsphere. It switched back to Paine's face again.

"Yuna, we need help. We've managed to round up a few survivors and made camp at the docks; it's the only place that is not in danger of being buried by falling rubble.

"We need more medicine, and we don't have any food, but mostly, everyone is in shock. They all have blank eyes, … and they won't answer when you talk to them. A lot more are still in there, searching for their loved ones and friends. It's not safe for them to be there, all the buildings keep collapsing, but they refuse to leave."

She bowed her head and closed her eyes before she could speak again. "We still haven't found Gippal."

"WHAT?!" cried Rikku. She grabbed the commesphere from Yuna. "Why didn't you tell me that before?!"

"Because I knew you would react like this," snapped Paine, sounding more irritated than usual. The disaster had worn out her patience this afternoon; she was in no mood to deal with Rikku's hysterics.

"Where have you been looking?! Where was he when the explosions went off?!"

"We don't know where he was," replied Paine steadily. "He was going to return to Djose tomorrow afternoon. Before we left, we saw him speaking with another Youth League captain about weapons."

" '_Left?'_ You and Baralai left? Where did you guys go? You said you saw the bombs go off, but were too far away. Where were you?"

"We were having lunch, some ways outside the city," Paine answered matter-of-factually.

Rikku stood motionless as she processed this.

"You two were on a _picnic?! Together?!_" Normally, Rikku would have found this information as quality teasing material on Paine's behalf, but she wasn't in that particular mood. Her breathing was becoming harsher, her face turning red as her temper rose.

"While Gippal and everyone else was being blown to smithereens, you and your hubby were out on a midday _tryst?!_" She was shouting now. She began yelling obscenely in Al Bhed at Paine.

"Rikku," said Yuna softly. She gently pulled the commsphere away from her, afraid she might throw and break _it_ into smithereens. Yuna handed it off to Tidus as she pulled the fuming Rikku into her arms. It took a second, but then Rikku clutched desperately at Yuna. The girl broke down into tears.

"Oh Yunie, Yunie," she blubbered into Yuna's shoulder. Yuna lightly hushed her.

"He's okay, right? He's got to be okay."

"Of course he is, Rikku. They'll find him soon. And we will be there by tomorrow to help everyone. Everything is going to be fine." Though Yuna was still trying to convince herself that was going to be true, she wasn't going to tell Rikku that. Right now, her cousin didn't need to add to her distress.

Though Rikku and Gippal had yet to mention it to each other, it was obvious to everyone else how crazy they were about each other. Yuna couldn't imagine how Rikku felt right now, being told the one she loved might be gone forever …

'_On second thought, maybe I do know what's she's going through. Oh, poor Rikku.'_ Yuna would never wish that kind of misery on anyone, especially her young cousin.

Just the memory of that anguish made her turn around and look at Tidus, just to reassure herself he was still alive, and still here.

Tidus was speaking into the commsphere. "I can't believe she knows the meaning of the word 'tryst'."

Paine made some reply on the commsphere only he heard; he must have turned it down so it wouldn't upset Rikku anymore.

"Tell everyone we will be there by tomorrow, with supplies and help. Hang in there, Paine. The cavalry is on its way." He ended the link.

"Buddy, how soon can the Celsius be ready to lift-off?" asked Tidus.

"It can be ready by morning. We can be there by noon tomorrow."

Tidus nodded to his answer, and then lifted the commsphere to call someone else.

"Nooj?"

"Tidus? Oh, thank the Fayth, the commspheres are finally reaching Besaid," came Nooj's reply on the sphere.

"What are you talking about?" asked Tidus.

"The commspheres have been down all day long. From what I'm hearing, there hasn't been a working commsphere anywhere in Spira. I haven't even been able to get a signal. Somehow whatever happened in Bevelle affected the commsphere signals." He said the last part in a voice an octave lower, his emotion obvious.

"So you've heard?" Tidus said quietly.

"Baralai called me the moment the commsphere was working. The poor man was so glad to finally reach me, he ... broke down. Paine told me what happened."

"Where are you, now? I thought you were going to remain in Bevelle and keep negotiating with the New Yevon."

"LeBlanc and I are in Luca. We ...um, LeBlanc wanted to go shopping. She said she had been cooped up in that hotel room in Bevelle for a week and needed to get out. Apparently, she finished all her Bevelle shopping in the first two days we were there. I thought we could use a break, one quick day trip to Luca before tomorrow's meetings, but ... this happened."

Nooj paused for a moment, then he slammed his fist down on the table he was standing at, causing the sphere's image to wobble. "_Tyssed_! I never should have left!" (Dammit)

"Don't be stupid. You're lucky you got out of there when you did. You or LeBlanc probably wouldn't be alive if you hadn't. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think shopping just saved your life, man."

Even though Tidus was trying to lighten the mood, he could understand Nooj's frustration. The thought of all his new friends, scared and helpless in Bevelle, made him want to jump on the Celsius and fly there himself.

Nooj watched Tidus, both men regarding each other in silence. To a man, Nooj could see Tidus understood, and he acknowledged that Tidus was right, this was no time to lose his cool. Too much damage had already been done, and even more had been lost this day.

"Have they found Gippal, yet?" Nooj asked quietly. Tidus turned his back to Rikku and Yuna and softly whispered that they hadn't.

Wakka suddenly held up another commsphere. "Someone else is calling us." Everybody raised their heads and looked at him.

"Well, answer it. Find out who it is," said Lulu from her chair in the corner of the room. She adjusted the sleeping Vidina in her arms and settled back to silently listening.

Wakka turned on the sphere. Out came a loud string of Al Bhed commands and curses.

"Cid! Cid! Calm down. We can't understand you," Wakka tried to shout over him to no avail. He put the sphere on mute.

"Cid just called us," Tidus explained to Nooj who was trying to see what was going on in the room.

"Oh, that will make him happy. He's been trying to reach you ever since I called him earlier and told him what happened," Nooj replied. "I need to ask him a few things quickly."

Tidus nodded and turned back to Wakka, who had managed to get Cid to stop shouting in Al Bhed as least.

"Tidus!" Cid's voice called out when he saw the blonde's form. "Where's Yuna?"

"She's here, Cid, in Besaid. So are Rikku, Brother, and Buddy. They flew us here last night."

"Rikku and Brother? So you're all safe? No one's hurt?"

Tidus' eyes met Yuna's. She was stroking Rikku's back as the girl still had her face buried in her neck. Yuna was quietly observing everything that was being said from over Rikku's shoulder.

She was impressed with how he was taking control of the situation. This was a side to him she had never seen before, except when strategically battling. But then again, he never could stand it when everyone just stood around and nothing got done. He liked having the problems solved.

"We are all okay, here. I can't say the same for Bevelle, though," he told Cid.

"Ask him if he's done the favor I asked of him," said Nooj's voice from one sphere.

"Nooj wants to know if you did what he asked," Wakka said to Cid's sphere.

"It's in progress. We sent two ships off fast as we could. They should be arrivin' at Bevelle's docks within a few hours. We're almost ready to go with the second shift, more properly supplied this time. We should be there by mid-mornin'."

Tidus relayed this message to Nooj, who returned a grateful reply.

Just then, Rikku's face lifted off Yuna's shoulder as her mind finally registered her father's voice.

"Vydran?" She leapt at Wakka and yanked the commsphere from his hands.

"Vydran! Drao lyh'd veht res! Drao tuh'd ghuf frana ra ec! Ra lyh'd pa tayt, Vydran, ra zicd lyh'd pa!" (They can't find him! They don't know where he is! He can't be dead, Father, he just can't be!)

"Cmuf tufh, kenm! Fru? Fryd yna oui dymgehk ypuid?" (Slow down, girl! Who? What are you talking about?)

"Gippal, Vydran! Gippal! Ra'c seccehk! " Rikku wailed. (He's missing!)

She fell to her knees, her head bent as noisy tears fell down her face. The sphere, cupped in both her hands, had launched into another litany of Al Bhed curses.

Unexpectedly, Brother got up from his place on the couch and came over to crouch next to the weeping Rikku. For once, instead of being his idiotic self, he placed his arm around Rikku's shoulders and kept his mouth shut.

"Fa femm veht res. Fa yna mayjehk vun Bevelle huf. Fa femm caynlr vun res." Cid's voice continued. (We will find him. We are leaving for Bevelle now. We will search for him.)

Brother lifted the sphere from Rikku's hands before she dropped it. His sister's head sank against his bare chest and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Anyone who knew them would not have believed it had they not been standing in the room watching it (and a majority of them were), but in a time of crisis, it appeared that Rikku and Brother both possessed a large amount of sibling love for each other.

"Dyga lyna uv ouin cecdin," Cid told Brother. "E ryji du ku. Fa yna dygehk uvv." (Take care of your sister. I have to go. We are taking off.)

"Oac, Vydran," said Brother. "Fa femm caa oui eh Bevelle." (Yes, Father. We will see you in Bevelle.)

Brother disconnected the call and handed the sphere back to Wakka. Brother stood up, lifting Rikku's limp form into his arms. She curled around him, her face buried out of sight in his chest. Without another word, he walked out the door with her into the oncoming night, heading back to the Celeius.

Everyone watched them go. With that simple display of affection, each of them felt the weight of the situation's extremity settle around them. Anything that would make Rikku and Brother act that way was grave indeed. In times of distress, there was no time for petty disagreements or problems; they all needed each other's support.

Yuna walked over to Tidus, taking the sphere that still had Nooj on it, and wrapping her other arm around his waist.

"How is LeBlanc taking this, Nooj?"

Nooj had also been transfixed by the impossible sight of Brother caring for Rikku and it took him a moment to realize what Yuna had asked.

"Oh, yeah, LeBlanc," said Tidus, coming out of his own trancelike state. "Where is she, Nooj? Do I finally get to meet her?"

"She's ... uh, out collecting donations."

"Pardon?"

"She's going around to all the houses in Luca, knocking on doors and asking people to give what little they can to help the refugees in Bevelle. She just called me just a little while ago to check in and give me an update. Most people still don't know about the disaster, but once they hear about it, they are wiling to give everything they own. She said she was going to need another cart soon because people keep donating home-cooked meals and clothes."

"That's ... great. Good for her," replied Yuna hesitantly.

After hearing about Bevelle, Yuna had been sure there couldn't be anything else that could astonish her tonight. Except, ... she had just watched Brother walk off to comfort his heartbroken sister. And now...

'_Who would have thought that the vain and self-centered LeBlanc would ever do anything to help others in need?' _

_'Well, she must have some good qualities that make her attractive to a man as smart as Nooj.' _

"Will you be coming to back to Bevelle tomorrow, then?" Tidus asked Nooj.

"We will try, but I've been getting calls from all over Spira from all the leaders of Youth League divisions. They all want some reassurances, and they want to know our current course of action. A few of them I really need to speak with. Hopefully, some of them have more information why this catastrophe wasn't averted. I think I can get a few to come back with me to Bevelle and help."

"That's sounds wonderful, Nooj," said Yuna. "At least _you_ have a plan."

"What plan? I'm making this up as I go. Just trying to decide what would be for the best right now. What about you, Yuna? You are going to Bevelle, right?"

"Y-yes. We have to find Paine. And we will be bringing our own share of supplies. We'll, uh, have to leave tomorrow morning, but we should be there by midday."

Nooj eyes rested on Yuna for a moment; then his gaze strayed to Tidus. "You two do realize that something more than supplies will be asked of you. Do you understand the levels of hopelessness and despair you will find there, tomorrow?"

"Uh, ..." Yuna glanced up at Tidus, not sure how to reply.

"The people will be in dire states; their spirits completely crushed after loosing their homes. It will be like the aftermath of Sin, but worse, because they will not know the cause of their misery."

"How is that worse than Sin, eh?" asked Wakka from across the room. He was standing protectively behind Lulu and Vidina.

Nooj heard his question. "Not knowing is always worse. They won't know who to blame or how scared to be for another attack. Tension levels will be worse than they were when the Youth League and New Yevon were ready to tear each other apart." Nooj sighed.

"No one likes to feel helpless, and it will make them frustrated that they do feel that way. It's a violation not only to their property, but their sense of security, too. They are going to need reassurances, comfort, and hope."

His eyes locked with Yuna's. "There's only a few who they might be willing to listen to when all other logic seems to have disappeared over a lunch break."

Yuna felt a lump in her throat.

Nooj was right, about everything.

As shaken as she was over the whole situation, those who were feeling its effects directly would be a hundred times worse.

Bevelle was supposed to be a safe place, after all. The home of the famous temple of Bahamut, the revered Fayth, and the Yevon court and council. For hundreds of years it had been the most beautiful city of culture and history. The fact that it had been destroyed was still hardly believable.

It was unthinkable that it was all gone: all those marvelous buildings, the market streets, always clean and full of life, even the familiar landscape wouldn't be there.

Tomorrow, everyone in Bevelle would be tired, angry and frustrated, not a good combination when they needed clear heads for reasoning. But Yuna couldn't blame them. Their entire existence, everything they had ever known, had just been ripped away from them.

"They will need their summoner," said Yuna in a low voice. It seemed it would always be her destiny to bring appeasement to the misfortunes of Spira.

"It wouldn't be a bad idea to bring him along, too," said Nooj, pointing at Tidus. "You both have become a single unit in the public's eye. Seeing the two of you together, united and strong, will give them the confidence to endure, and just something else to think about besides their own troubles. They need to know you will be there for them in their time of need."

"Great, I get to be Yuna's accessory," Tidus mumbled under his breath, but evidently not quietly enough.

"I wouldn't sell yourself too short," Nooj said to him. "I'm having a bad prediction that the people are going to be desperate and untrusting to each other. They will begin bonding into their own close-knit groups, a whole us-verses-them reaction. They will use it as a way to make themselves feel more secure when they are so unsure of everything else.

"It's basic psychology, really. Survivor-syndrome will be heavy too; I myself am already feeling those effects. That too often leads to despondency, and we can't have that. Savior-syndrome would be the lesser of two evils, as long as it is the two of you they're idolizing."

Nooj received only blank stares in response.

"You lost me six miles back when you forgot the map's translator," said Tidus.

"I got up to the point that no one will be inclined to work together," was Yuna's reply.

"Oh, no. They will work together. This experience will be something they have in common. But inevitably, they will go on the attack and look for revenge on the someone who made them feel so vulnerable. It will be the two of you that will keep them from attacking each other."

Tidus groaned. "Why us?" he whined.

"Because Summoners and their guardians," said Yuna softly, "are the hope and light of Spira." She remembered the first time she had told him that, when she told him they had to learn to smile in the face of their demise, because the people of Spira needed them to be strong.

"But you're not a summoner anymore. This shouldn't have to be your responsibility," he argued.

"It doesn't matter. The people of Spira still look to me to ease the burdens of their lives. And as a part of me, that duty falls to you too."

There was a silent message Yuna was trying to send to Tidus.

No matter how much she hated it, being a summoner was her life, part of who she was, and she would never get away from it. Although she wanted to be rid of it, she had agreed to it, and would have to live with that choice. Spira saw her as the beacon of hope and happiness; she would have to play that role for them.

If he couldn't live with that, live with that part of her, then there would be no hope for a future with the two of them. It wouldn't be enough to just love her; he would have to accept that this was who she was, just like she had to accept it herself.

"I thought we agreed we were done being the center of attention," he said to her softly, this time so Nooj really couldn't hear.

"Things change," she whispered back sadly.

Indeed, in this one night alone, so much had changed.

* * *

**EEK! Very bad cut-off! I apologize.**

**Very lovey dovey. *Sighs* don't you just love it?**

**I had a hard time deciding whether to destroy Luca or Bevelle, but I figure Bevelle is in more need of a make-over.**

**Heehee, I got to write in Al Bhed (and yes that's the correct way to spell it. Thanks for the correction.) The best part about FFX fanfics is the Al Bhed language; it's already made up for you! **

**Aww, Brother was actually a big brother in this chapter. I think he has lots of potential. (I always wanted a big brother.)**

**And old wise Nooj sees all and knows all. And he was a psych major, who knew?**

**LeBlanc has been too busy shopping for that new house she bought in Bevelle, she hasn't had a chance to meet Tidus. No one tell her she should've bought that homeowners' insurance afterall! She did always seem like a cheapskate (and a whore, but I won't bring that up)**

**Thanks to all who reviewed. I look forward to more.**


	2. Chapter 2 Promise, Promise?

**It's so hard to write jokes into the script when it's such a serious situation. Like, no one makes fun of Hurricaine Katrina or 9/11, so I can't exactly lighten the mood when I'm trying to create the same tension. I can't make Rikku and Tidus be their usual peppy selves, but I tried a little.**

**Thank you for all the reviews, I'm glad you are all liking it.**

**I wish Tidus and Yuna were mine, but I'm not so lucky.**

* * *

Tidus cupped her fallen chin and lifted her eyes back up to his.

"Then we'll just have to find a way to change together." His voice was barely auditable, but all the emotion and commitment was there in his gaze. He was in this for the long haul, through thick and thin, and he would do anything to be with Yuna, even if it meant sacrificing any private solitude they hoped to have.

'_I guess this means learning to be too boring for the reporters to write about,'_ he thought. An average, boring life was sounding pretty blissful right now, but he was not going to desert Yuna. If he had to, he could wait forever for their life together.

"We'll do it," Yuna told Nooj.

His warm hands closed over her shoulders from behind. Even if she should be feeling smothered by being responsible for Spira's morale, she felt surprising light and confident with the strength of Tidus's loyalty and perseverance supporting her.

"Perfect," Nooj said, satisfied.

"Just one more thing. What do you plan to wear, Yuna?"

"Uh, excuse me?" The question was so unexpected, it took Yuna completely off guard. She glanced down at her Gullwing outfit. "This, I suppose."

What other option was there? She had worn her old summoner's dress a few times last week when she had met with several high-ranking officials and Yevon leaders, but she was not as fond of that dress as she had once been.

"That's what I thought," said Nooj. "I'm sorry, Yuna, but we have to get you a not-so-casual outfit. And that summoner's dress is just too old fashioned, and deeply connected to Yevon's teaching. To appeal to all of Spira, you need to appear modern, mature, and neutral." He gave Yuna a questioning look. "You know, this would be something LeBlanc would love to design."

Tidus gulped. Though he had never met her, he had heard about LeBlanc's outlandish tastes. "Is this all really necessary? I think Yuna looks great just as she is," he objected.

"It will be important to the people of Spira. They need to see her looking professional and confident when they are not sure of anything anymore. Don't worry, I'll not let LeBlanc put anything tacky and trashy on Yuna. Though I don't know how much more sparse her clothes could be."

It was true that Yuna had been sporting a lot of bare skin, completely in contrast to her former conservative attitude, but Tidus was not going to argue with her new choice of attire.

"You know, Tidus, new clothes on you wouldn't hurt either." Nooj began.

"Well, it will depend on what LeBlanc chooses," said Yuna quickly, not wanting to put this pressure on Tidus too. And she didn't want to flat out say no to Nooj's offer, because she was going to need something more formal than the Gullwing outfit.

Nooj nodded. "I've lingered too long on this line and there are several calls waiting. Get some rest, you two. You're going to need all your physical and mental strength for tomorrow."

"Nooj?" asked Yuna tentatively.

"Yes, Yuna?"

"Why would anyone do something like this?" Nothing about Bevelle's demise made sense, but she could barely comprehend someone, some other living person, with the desire to destroy so many innocent lives.

"It was someone who thought they would benefit somehow from an aggressive attack. Someone, who wanted attention." Nooj sighed. "We should be hearing from them soon enough."

"What do you mean?"

"Anyone who would do something that massively destructive wants to prove they are a force to be reckoned with, and they want something with that power. They will want to take credit for their actions, to show others just how mighty they are, and then they will make some sort of demand. We'll probably be negotiating with terrorists in the near future."

"No, we can't do that," Tidus interjected, angry at the thought of someone destroying Bevelle just to prove a point.

"We can't let them win, we can't give into any demands, just because they got us scared. We are going to have to show _them_ that they cannot just waltz in and think they can take control of Spira."

"Brave words, Sir Tidus. And I agree with you one hundred percent, but it isn't the most logical approach. We don't know their strength or our weaknesses at the moment. It wouldn't be practical to have that assessment. We'll have to discuss that more, in time."

Nooj turned at a beeping that sounded like another commsphere. "I really need to go now, guys. I will see you in the next few days."

They said their good-byes and Yuna ended the call. For several moments, no one in the hut spoke.

Wakka, Lulu, and Buddy had all been sitting quietly and listening the whole time on the other side of the room. Wordlessly, they'd been watching the two most influential people in Spira make plans to help strangers in need, and at the cost of their own personal plans.

The couple was standing still with their eyes cast downward, still looking at the sphere Yuna held in one hand. Her other hand was covering one Tidus had placed on her shoulder. Silently they contemplated their conversation with Nooj, and all it meant for them and their future.

Lulu was the one to break the silence.

"There's nothing else we can do tonight. Tomorrow will come soon enough. Let's all eat something and get to bed early."

With that, she rose and placed the sleeping Vidina in his cradle; then she went into the kitchen to lay out the meal she had left simmering on the stove.

Brother returned at that moment, followed by a calmer Rikku. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and she looked like she might start again at any time. Her entire frame appeared so fragile, like she would break at any second. But her chin was firmly lifted and determination was etched into her sorrowful face.

"So you finished your call. Is it time for dinner yet?" she asked. Though her voice seemed carefree, there was no hint of her ready smile around her lips.

"Ya, Lu just announced it," said Wakka. He looked around at all them, giving them all a meaningful look.

"She's going to make sure we all eat a lot tonight, so lets all agree right now that we will NOT pick at her food and make her start fretting." He reinforced this statement with another firm look, then turned and led the way into the kitchen. Everyone followed, one by one, and they all crowded around the small table in the center of the room.

Dinner began quiet and awkward. Wakka had been right. Lulu gave everyone large servings of everything, even though no one was in the mood to eat, but they obediently placed food in their mouths and chewed, not even tasting the delicious meal.

After a while, the tension began to ease. Something as normal and comforting as having a dinner with friends made all the unthinkable horror waiting for them beyond the dining room disappear. Though it was still quiet, it was a friendly silence.

"Oh, I forgot," said Rikku suddenly. Everyone looked to her, and she turned to Tidus and Yuna. "What was the incredible news you two had?"

Under the table, Tidus had been holding Yuna's hand, stroking his thumb over the back of her palm. At Rikku's question, he gave her hand a squeeze and ran his thumb over the blue sapphire on her finger. Then he pulled up her arm and set their clasped hands on the table top. Yuna's engagement ring caught the light and glittered.

"You're engaged?" Lulu asked in wonder.

Yuna nodded with a shy smile on her face. She glanced up at Tidus; he was grinning largely.

"I still can't believe she would be foolish enough to say yes," he said, but there was pride in his eyes.

"Oh, Yunie! That's wonderful." Rikku still hadn't managed a full smile yet, but she did get up and come around the table to give her cousin a hug.

"Congratulations, you two. And much happiness," said Buddy.

Brother's reaction was to mimic a fish. Obviously speechless, his mouth opened, then closed, then opened again as he thought of something to say, but then lost the thought.

"Yuna!" he exclaimed finally. "You said '_Yes_'? You really said '_Yes_'?!"

"Of course I did, Brother," she answered. "There was nothing preventing me from agreeing."

His jaw opened and closed a few more times. Brother had always been skeptical about their relationship, and had kept quiet mainly because he knew Tidus made Yuna happy somehow, but he still waiting in the background, secretly hoping Yuna would eventually tire of Tidus and come back to the Gullwings.

"You're going to catch a pyrefly in your open trap if you're not careful," Tidus teased him.

Brother's mouth clamped shut and he glared at Tidus. "You had her drink spirits at lunch, didn't you? Her mind was unclear! You had no right to take advantage of her! Oui zang!" (You jerk!)

"Oh, Brother, be quiet!" said Rikku sharply. "Yuna is your first cousin, and one of your good friends. You should be happy for her, not making her feel bad."

Brother looked at Rikku surprised. His sister was always yelling at him, but he knew she was in a delicate state right now, and somehow, that made what she said to him get through his thick skull for once. He looked over to Yuna, who was looking down and squirming in her seat uncomfortably.

"Did I make you feel bad, Yuna?"

Yuna would not raise her head as she fiddled with her ring. "It's my choice, Brother," she said quietly. Her eyes lifted to Tidus, who was watching her closely, and she knew it was right. "He has always been my choice."

Turning back to the others, she pasted a bright smile on her face. "You're all invited to the wedding, of course," she said, changing the subject before it went any further.

"You already have a date in mind?" Lulu asked dubiously.

"Well, um, no." Yuna stuttered.

"You can have a small ceremony right here in Besaid, ya?" said Wakka. "Right at the temple, like me and Lu."

"I call Maid of Honor. And I wanna wear pink," said Rikku. She wasn't bouncing on her heels in excitement like she usually did, or punching the air, but she was still Rikku, and her reactions were predictable.

"We'll have to shop around for the prettiest dresses in Spira, Yunie. And matching jewelry, too."

Tidus groaned and Yuna turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"I hadn't thought about the shopping part of this getting married business," he said. "Will I have to come along?"

"Of course, you do," Wakka replied. "You are going to be dragged to all the dress fittings, the cake tasting, the flower selections, purchasing the bows and ribbons' color scheme, and even deciding which invitations to purchase. And you better give the right answer when you're asked your opinion."

"Invitations?" Tidus was turning pale as he listened to Wakka. "You mean you can't just tell people when to come?"

"Absolutely not." Wakka exclaimed in mock horror. "You see, the women need a pretty, embroidered piece of cardboard with tiny calligraphy print to tell them years later that they saw their friends get married."

Buddy burst out laughing, almost choking on the water he was drinking. Tidus laughed too, his color returning to normal, but Lulu, Rikku, and Yuna all stared at Wakka with distaste.

Rikku huffed out a breath. "Men just don't understand."

"Wakka?" said Lulu in a deceptively sweet voice. "I think I hear Vidina stirring in the other room. Why don't you go get him, and then you can do the dishes yourself tonight?"

"What? Oh, Lu, come on. It was a little joke. Even though most of it was true." He muttered the last part.

"Now that I think about it, you better make sure you shine the silverware tonight too," Lulu replied.

"Lulu, that's not fair. When do we ever use-"

"And my mother's china set seems to be getting a little dusty." Wakka closed his mouth and quickly went to fetch Vidina before his sentenced was lengthened any more.

Rikku got up from the table, too. "I'm going to bed. We have to get up very early tomorrow to pack up the ship. You said we could be there by noon, right Buddy?"

"Yes. If we don't linger too long over what to put in the storage hold," he replied.

"Good. Come on, Brother. Bedtime."

"You cannot order me around. I am _your_ captain!" he cried.

Rikku just folded her arms, not arguing with him like she typically would have. "So what are your orders, Captain?" she said sarcastically, sounding remarkably like Paine.

"Umm,… It's time to go to bed. Rikku, Buddy, back to the ship," he announced. Rikku rolled her eyes, and the three of them left the room. Wakka returned with the drowsy Vidina.

"Come on, Yuna. Us, too." Tidus got up from the table, helping Yuna from her seat.

Wakka stopped in the middle of their pathway to the door, a stern look on his face.

Before they had gone to Bevelle last week, they had spent a few weeks in Besaid, and the sleeping arrangement had always made Wakka very uneasy. Yuna was like a little sister to him, and he protected her from anything, at all costs. But he was proving inept at defending her from this particular threat, mostly because Yuna refused to help.

That first night he was back, Yuna would not let Tidus go for even a moment. But that night, there had been a party that lasted all night long. They had eventually fallen asleep together in front of the bonfire with everyone around them, so there really hadn't been any danger.

The second night, Lulu had reasonably offered Tidus their spare bedroom, and the Aurochs had offered him a bed at their hut, and the temple priest had given him permission to use a cot in Besaid's temple. And, to this day, he had never actually verbally declined any of their offers.

It didn't matter if Tidus and Yuna went to sleep in separate beds in the evening. By morning, they were always found asleep together in each other's arms, and usually in the most peculiar of places. The morning sun would sometimes find them in Yuna's bed, or on her couch, or on her floor, or they could be found on Lulu and Wakka's couch, or the floor of the temple, and once on a hilltop overlooking the village. Every morning would be a location different from the one they had originally gone to spend the night, with no indication they had ever moved from their comfortable place beside one another.

Wakka had tried to prevent them from sneaking out of their beds at night and to each other. One night, when Tidus had fallen asleep on his and Lulu's couch after Yuna had gone home, Wakka had set a chair up by the front door, determined to stay awake all night long if he had to, and stop Tidus from leaving his hut.

But Wakka had inevitably fallen asleep. The next morning, he found a blanket draped over him, Lulu making breakfast in the kitchen, and an empty couch. When he finally tracked down the pair, they were at the beach, going for a morning swim and having a water fight.

Lulu had told him sitting in a chair all night was bad for his back, and said nothing more. Apparently, she was not as worried about Yuna's virtue as he was. Lulu trusted Tidus, and she knew he would rather go back to the Farplane in his state of non-existence than risk hurting Yuna.

"Wakka, these dishes aren't going to wash themselves," Lulu said now. She took Vidina from his arms and shooed him over to the pile of dirty plates, allowing Tidus and Yuna to make their escape.

Wakka grumbled as he commenced his punishment, "Never insult a woman's wedding plans."

Outside Wakka and Lulu's hut, Yuna took Tidus by the hand and, instead of walking toward her hut, led him to the path down to the beach. Before they had even crossed the village, he had put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. Yuna wrapped her arm around his waist.

They walked in silence, the stars twinkling down on them. In the dark, on the deserted path, they could have been the only two people in existence. And to their minds, that's all they needed.

They reached the beach, but didn't go down to the shore; they didn't want to encounter any of the fiends that came out at night. Instead, Tidus sat down in the sand, pulling Yuna with him. He laid back and pulled her head to his chest.

For a while, they lay there on the beach, looking at the stars, both content to just be in each other's presence, and letting the starlight bless their love.

Their thoughts were on Bevelle, of what would be happening there right now. The first three ships Cid had sent would have arrived by now. Was some of the relief they brought being passed around already?

How would all those people view the lovely stars tonight? Would they see nature's beauty? Something that was always constant even though cities couldn't be? Or would they hate the sight of them because they could longer put a roof between them and stars? Would they be a symbol of poverty to them?

'_I made a wish on one of those stars tonight,'_ Yuna thought. _'But the people of Bevelle need that wishing power more than I do right now.'_

"How are we going to bring them comfort and reassurance?" she asked Tidus.

"I have no idea, baby. Do you?"

"Nuh-uh. No clue."

"Then I guess we will have to figure it out along the way." He looked down at her. "Just be yourself, Yuna. Spira loves you as much as I do, and they will appreciate anything you do for them."

Her head snuggled into his chest. After another moment, she asked, "Does it bother you?"

"No, Yuna, it doesn't. I can take the public life, I pretty much have all my life, but it can be harsh, and downright cruel and evil at times. I would want to protect you from that."

"Hold on, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. I saved Spira without your help, you know."

"Just because I couldn't be there, because I thought I was never coming back, but I'm here now, and I'm still your guardian, Yuna. I will protect you at all costs."

His head turned and a kiss was pressed into her hair.

As she thought about his words, Yuna felt a chill in her heart. Suddenly, they didn't seem as romantic as he meant them to be.

'_All_ costs.' _Any_ cost.

That's what had happened before. He had saved her life by giving up his own existence. And he would do it again in a heartbeat; she had no doubt about it.

The thought of him dead, of him dying, really giving his life to shield her from harm was terrifying.

When he had disappeared, the only reason she had not given up hope of ever finding him was because he wasn't dead. He had never literally died, just faded away to another place, so he had to still exist somewhere.

But death,… death was so absolute.

There were no special conditions with death. No one came back from it, no one ever overcame it. He had been returned to the land of the living after being put in a limbo between reality and death, but if he died, there was no way he could come back. Ever.

"Ease up, girl. You're crushing my ribs,' he said. Yuna only squeezed him tighter.

"I don't want you to protect me at all costs," she said against his chest.

Rikku might have lost her man this day. All through dinner, even with the cheerful talk, she had not smiled once, and her eyes had remained haunted. She might have pushed all her fears and sorrow to the back of her mind, but it was still there, constantly tormenting her. Despite her broken heart, tonight, she had put on a cheery disposition for everyone else.

'_Just like I did the last two years,'_ she thought.

Only now, with Tidus safely in her arms, could she recognize how painful and torn up she had been inside all that time. She smiled and had learned to play, but it had still been an empty existence. It was just something to pass the time until the warmth and sunshine came back to light up her world, making her live again.

'_I don't want to go back to that cold place.'_

His hands framed her face, pulling her up and adjusting her head so she was looking right into his eyes.

"_Any_ cost, Yuna. I couldn't bear to live without you. I _don't_ live without you. Without your love to hold me here, I … I don't know what would happen to me."

"And how do you think _I_ feel? How do you think it felt to watch you jump off that airship and into non-existence?" she exclaimed. She reared up and put her hands on his shoulders, pinning him to the ground with her weight.

"I couldn't get over you, no matter how much Rikku and Paine tried to distract me. I stirred up a thousand-year old ghost bent on destroying Spira just on a weak clue that could lead me back to you."

Her eyes were tearing up as she gazed at him with her entire soul. "If you died for me, there would be no second coming back. You wouldn't just fade out and disappear like a dream, you would die, be gone forever, and the Fayth could not bring you back."

She buried her face in his chest again. "You could never come back to me. And-and… I would just die all over again. I couldn't live through that a second time, and even if I somehow did, this time I would know there was no hope you could come back. And then-"

"I'll always come back," he interrupted her. His tone was strange. She lifted her head to look at him again, and found a faraway look in his eyes.

"I remember you calling to me,… That day right after I … left. You whistled, and I heard it, and I came back. And every time after that. I… I couldn't stay away. Even though it was … bad and … damaging. I just couldn't keep away whenever you called."

His sketchy memories gone, he looked straight at her now, with all the seriousness he possessed. "I will always return to you, Yuna. Always. Until the very end, I promise I will always return to you."

"Always," she repeated, remembering another time he had said that. Another happy memory of happy words, except this time…

" You promise? _Promise_, promise?" she whispered.

"Promise, promise. I will always come back for you."

Comforted at last, she laid her head back down. She truly did like this position, using his muscular chest as a pillow, listening to his heartbeat. To physically hear that he was alive, it was remarkably soothing.

Beneath her cheek, there were tiny chest hairs growing on his torso. They were nothing but sparse blonde fuss now, but it would thicken in about twenty years. She intended for both of them to still be around then.

It took her a moment to remember something. "You know, when I asked you if you were okay with it, I really meant something else."

"Oh yeah?"

"I wanted to know if you were okay with the wedding Rikku and Lulu seem to be planning."

His chest rumbled under her cheek with his laughter. His hand came up to rest on her head and he nuzzled her hair.

"Whatever my Yuna wants, she's going to get."

After another moment he asked, "You really want a big wedding here in Besaid?"

She didn't answer right away. She was thinking of her last wedding in Bevelle. _That_ had been a big wedding, worthy of the union of a High Summoner and a Maester. As hideous as that entire memory was, Yuna couldn't help but admit to herself how lovely the ceremony had been, except for the gunshots and nearly crashing airship.

"I always wanted a big wedding," she confessed. Another one of her girlish dreams, to have the man she loved and a wedding that would be the talk of all Spira.

'_At this point, it wouldn't matter if I got married in a tool shed. It would still be the talk of Spira_

No matter how much she had come to appreciate her privacy over the last two years, it was still her guilty desire to have the large wedding. The one where there were ice sculptures of swans, and five large wedding cakes decorated with plastic bridges to feed all the guests, and imported fruit trees to line the aisle, and the guests took home their dinner dishes as party favors.

She giggled as she remembered all those silly fantasies from her childhood, which made Tidus ask her to explain her amusement, and led to her disclosing her secret thoughts and imaginings.

He listened to some of her ridiculous ideas, some downright impossible, and laughed along with her.

"I don't think I could make a parachute jump from a building and land right next to you at the alter," he laughed. She was laughing too, holding her burning side.

"But I think some of those details could be arranged," he said thoughtfully.

"Oh, no, you don't! Some of that is so impossible, it would take a fortune to bribe someone to do it. And I am not putting anyone out."

She sighed dreamily, settling back against him. "I guess a small, little gathering here would be very nice, too." Not the one of her dreams, but any wedding to Tidus would be marvelous in every way. As long as the end result was the same, Tidus belonging to her and her belonging to Tidus, she would be happy.

Tidus made no reply as he looked back into the star-filled sky.

THE NEXT DAY

"Gullwings, prepare for touch down! Bevelle within sight," yelled Brother needlessly over the loudspeaker around noon.

Tidus and Yuna left what remained of their meal and thanked Barkeep. They headed to the elevator and rode it to the bridge. Everyone else was already there, looking out the large front window as they approached Bevelle.

What they saw was the remains of a once glorious city, now brutally murdered. Several forms of buildings were still standing, but a large majority had fallen into giant mountains of stone, concrete and glass. There were craters, patches of space, where once had stood grand monuments, now contained a pile of rubble.

Tidus was reminded of the time he saw Zanarkind on Yuna's pilgrimage. It was the home he had always known, a home he had seen just months ago filled with lights and noise, decayed and vacant, and he was the only piece of it that still survived.

Now here he was in Bevelle. Only two days ago, he had just seen all these ruins filled with life and productivity, and now it was all worthless. The houses, the shops, the business and apartment complexes, they were all gone. All the beautiful structures of wondrous Bevelle, they were nothing more than debris.

No one said a word as Brother guided the ship toward the docks. Yuna looked over at Rikku, who had barely spoken three words all morning while they were storing supplies in the ship's hold. She had been completely silent during the entire journey here, staring off into space, immersed in her thoughts.

Yuna knew she was thinking about Gippal. Where he was. If he was alive. She wanted to comfort Rikku, but the poor girl looked so close to tears, she was afraid if she made any little comment or advancement, the feeble shield Rikku had erected around her heart would crumble and she might never recover.

Yuna turned back to the window. Tidus had gone to stand by Brother driving to the docks, thinking Yuna had intended to console her cousin and not wanting to be in the way. She stepped forward to the window, and looked down to the ground.

There were many tents surrounding the docks, and every little bit of space was filled with small airships, boats, and land shuttles. Apparently, a lot of people had come from all over Spira to help the survivors, or to find family and loved ones who had lived in Bevelle.

The vehicles ended by a tent blockade, and beyond that were several large Al Bhed airships. From these ships' cargo holds, crates and boxes were being handed out to a large mass of people.

The ship's radio crackled. "You took your sweet time getting here." Cid's voice.

"Fa'na hud ajah myda oad!" was Brother's irritated reply. (We're not even late yet!)

Cid gave Brother directions on where to set the Celsius down amongst the other airships, and told them to stay where they were while he worked his way towards them.

Once the Celsius was on the ground, Brother stayed on the bridge to finish powering down the ship, Buddy went off to the storage hold to get the supplies ready, and Tidus, Yuna, and Rikku headed for the gangplank.

Outside the Celsius, they found a young Al Bhed captain waiting for them with two other men.

"Knaadehkc, Princess Rikku, Lady Yuna, and Sir Tidus." The captain bowed low in great respect. The two men behind him copied his motion. "I am Commander Zimmus of the Al Bhed's military. We have been awaiting your arrival."

Yuna bowed slightly to him as Tidus looked the Commander over. He had an intelligent face, and he was very alert, sizing up Tidus the way he was doing to him. He had the look of an aged warrior. He might pass for Auron, except he still had the charm of youth about him.

Assessment taken, Tidus reached out his arm and both men clasped wrists in a sign of mutual respect. "Commander, could you tell us what the situation here is?"

Zimmus sighed, his professional veneer slipping into a look of sadness. "Grimm," he responded.

"My elite team was the first to arrive here last night, and I fear what might have happened if we had been delayed even another hour. All the survivors were hungry, most were badly injured, and all were in such a state of mental and emotional distress. They looked at us as if we were the summoners themselves, come to lead them to the serenity of the Farplane and away from this devastation."

"What about Paine, and Praetor Baralai?" asked Yuna.

Zimmus looked to her with incredulous eyes. "Those two? I still don't know how they were able to greet us standing on their feet. Even though they were the only ones still animated and coherent, it was clear that after spending the whole day assisting everyone else, they were ready to collapse.

"Yet, we couldn't get them to stop helping the others. Once we had managed to force them to drink some water and eat, we all but dragged them on board one of the ships and let them sleep in the trundle beds. They still haven't woken up yet."

"Then maybe they should have given them separate rooms," Tidus muttered. Yuna elbowed him in the ribs.

"Thank you for all you have done so far, Commander Zimmus," she said sweetly.

Cid strode up to them just then and addressed the two men standing behind Zimmus. "Cytol, Matrik, ku veht suna ramb du ihmuyt dra cibbmeac fedr Buddy." The two men took off. (go find more help to unload the supplies with Buddy.)

Cid turned to the rest of them. "You finally got here. People been asking all mornin' about the High Summoner and her guardian man. It will make everyone happy to see ya. I've never seen a bigger crowd of folk who needed some cheerin' up the way they do."

Yuna and Tidus glanced at one another, both of them understanding what would be required of them. "We will do our best Uncle Cid," said Yuna, lifting her hand to her heart. "You have our sincere promise."

Cid stared at Yuna, his expression turning to one of astonishment. Yuna wondered what he had seen at that made him look so shocked, and a little angry. She hadn't said anything offensive, right?

She looked down at herself. It couldn't be that he found her clothes indecent; he had seen her dressed this way before. Maybe she should have taken Nooj's advice and put on something else more becoming.

Her top didn't have any stains on it from lunch or anything. Was something caught in her teeth, perhaps?

Cid's gaze travelled to Tidus, then back to Yuna. "You're engaged?!"

'_Oh, he was looking at my ring.'_

"We are indeed," said Tidus, pulling Yuna against his side and casting a smile down at her.

"Congratulations," said Zimmus, also smiling. "This is excellent news. It's just what the people need to hear to make them happy."

From the look on Cid's face, it didn't appear that he agreed with Zimmus, and Yuna wasn't sure she did either. Her engagement shouldn't be a distraction for people's troubles. If they couldn't accept their problems first, there would be no getting to the second step of healing.

Cid still looked ready to blow his top at any moment, and Zimmus was sharp enough to notice this. He attempted to calm his general. "The people here need to see that life will still continue outside this miserable place. They will something to look forward to, like their beloved High Summoner's wedding, so the future will not appear so bleak, and then they can move on to their new lives."

'_Well, that's a nice way to put it' _thought Yuna. It didn't make her personal life seem like such a diversion anymore.

But this still didn't placate Cid, so Zimmus changed the subject. "We should announce their arrival, sir. It might bring many out of their stupor."

Zimmus motioned them to follow him, and briskly led the way to the gathering of tables and tents. Yuna and Tidus fell into step behind him, and Cid and Rikku followed.

"Fryd tet ouin pnudran cyl frah ra raynt ypuid drec?" Cid asked his daughter, but Rikku made no relpy. (What did your brother say when he heard about this?)

Cid kept trying to speak to her in Al Bhed, but she remained oddly silent and obedient as she followed the others. When he finally took notice, the lack of energy from Rikku caused him great distress, and he stopped thinking about his niece's upcoming wedding and instead started worrying over his daughter.

Indeed, the arrival of Lady Yuna and Sir Tidus was just what the desperate survivors of Bevelle needed.

As they approached the large group of people serving up stew and bread for lunch, many heads turned toward them and voices began shouting to them. The High Summoner was easily recognizable next to the familiar figure of her blonde guardian, and it was a welcome sight to see them walking hand in hand, as if their love could withstand even the tragedy of this day.

Word quickly spread all around that Lady Yuna and Sir Tidus had arrived. Many who had seemed to age overnight due to despair suddenly left their bowls of precious food with more energy than they could've mustered even moments ago. They rushed to meet and welcome the famous couple, the beginnings of hope starting to light up their eyes.

**

* * *

**

Yuna bounced a little girl on her knee as she taught some of the other kids one of her favorite children's songs. They were laughing and smiling over the silly lyrics, their precarious situation forgotten for the moment as they played with the famous summoner lady.

Most of their parents hovered nearby, watching Yuna entertain their children. The last 24 hours had been sheer terror for them. They had spent the perplexing hours merely holding onto their babies, frightened they might be stolen from their possession along with the rest of their previously-known lives.

The parents had been in shock over the occurrence, and in mourning over the loss of their neighbors and friends. They were disoriented and forlorn, trying to find something that still made sense.

But to their children, it was very boring to have their parents refuse to talk or allow them to go off and play. The distressed parents had had to listen to their children complain that they were bored, or hungry, or wanted to go home, and it had made them even more short-tempered when they couldn't deliver any of that to their children.

To see their children laughing again was a balm to their bewildered souls. Even though it was a relief to not have their kids demanding something from them anymore, the parents still didn't know what to do with themselves, so they just watched from a distance as they sang and played with marbles with Lady Yuna.

Sir Tidus had brought a blitzball with him from Besaid, and he had started a game with some of the older children. Yuna had watched him go off with Isaaru and some of his "guardian" friends.

They liked Tidus a lot, as demonstrated in the way they ganged up on him to wrestle him down to the ground. He would respond with tickle attacks, which would make them all go running, but quickly returning for more.

Playing and laughing with the famous guardian had made them forget, even for a little while, that not all of the members of their group were there with them. There were some friends that they would never see again.

Yuna felt a tremor of sadness over all that had happened here. Even though Besaid was her home, she had been born in Bevelle. It was where she had been with her father when she was little. She looked out toward the trampled city, a mess of water and stone, and pushed down the agony of loss before it consumed her.

To cheer herself up, she did what she always did these days when she needed a smile, she looked over to Tidus.

While the kids were fully engrossed in their game, Tidus had slipped away from the match and walked around to some of the still anxious people huddling close together.

Family members and old friends clung to each other, shock and fright evident in their eyes. Like the survivors of a war, their faces were ashen and haunted with the memories of the horror they had seen the day before.

Yuna watched Tidus approach these people (she was always aware of where he was at any given moment), and one by one, he gently spoke to them. With a reassuring smile and a few well-chosen words, the people began to come around, awakening from their comatose state and answering his simple questions.

The transformation was amazing to watch. After staring off into space for hours, they were finally reacting to something outside their own minds, losing their apprehension and becoming their old selves. All it took was Tidus, just being his usual good-humored and happy self, and the people responded to it.

He pointed out all the many people who had come to Bevelle to volunteer their time; all of them were friends who wanted to help, and everyone needed someone else's help at some point or other.

He spoke to them of rebuilding and moving on, that he knew it would be tough, but life went on. The sun was still going to rise in the morning and they would have to pull themselves out of bed every day to stare it down.

When Tidus left the people he spoke to, they had more color in their cheeks, and a feeling of new hope for the future. All of them agreed that Lady Yuna had indeed found a worthy man, and several women couldn't help but be envious of her good fortune.

Yuna had gone back to playing with the younger children, but glanced up and she heard one of the children say, "Here comes Sir Tidus."

He was walking toward her, she stopped her play to watch his approach, completely captivated by the striking figure he posed.

"Sir Tidus! Sir Tidus!" some of the children called. They scrambled to their feet and ran to meet him.

Tidus knelt down, caught a few of them up in his arms and spun them around, much to the shrieking delight of the lucky children.

"Me next! Me next!" some of the others cried. Tidus put down his bounty and scooped up several more, swinging them around in a spinning circle.

He repeated this several times, filling his arms with laughing kids, as he got closer to Yuna.

"You look like you have your hands full," she giggled.

Tidus put down the last of them. "Hang on, kiddos. I need to talk to Yuna."

Immediately, they scampered off with mischievous smiles. Neither Tidus or Yuna noticed that the other children had stopped playing and were hushing each other, eager to listen to what Lady Yuna and Sir Tidus were going to say to each other.

For the past month, all of them had heard the grown-ups talking when they thought the kids weren't listening. They had constantly heard about the High Summoner being in love with her guardian. And in the kids' professional opinion on true love, it was the perfect match.

After hearing many fairytales, it was evident that Summoner Yuna was a sweet and caring noble lady, and Sir Tidus was a handsome, kind, and strong hero. Their story of true love was exactly what bedtime stories were made of. A beautiful princess and a brave knight, and the epic couple could be found in their own beloved Tidus and Yuna.

But still, the children were curious to see what fairytale true love looked like in real life, without the chaos of a grand adventure and living with the boring details of ordinary problems.

Why were they talking so softly!

In quiet voices grown-ups used when saying serious things. The kids could barely hear!

"Yuna, I'm joining one of these groups going into the city to search for survivors. It's still the critical period to find those still alive beneath this mess, before they can't hold on anymore."

Yuna nodded in understanding. Anyone buried alive could only last for so long, before they died of thirst or starvation, or just bled to death from any injury.

"Be careful. Don't get crushed under any falling rocks," she said quietly, then a little louder, "I'll see you later then?" She said it brightly, but there was a deeper meaning in her eyes to that question.

"Of course you will." Tidus smiled back, and his eyes made it a promise. He leaned forward to press a soft kiss to her forehead, then he turned and walked over to a group of men.

Yuna watched as he and the others got into a machina shuttle that took off in the direction of the wrecked city. Only once, Tidus looked back and waved to her; she lifted her hand in response. Then he was gone over a heap of stone.

"Lady Yuna, are you going to marry Sir Tidus?" asked a little girl at her feet, breaking her out of the trance his departure had caused.

"Oh, um…" Yuna wondered how she should reply.

"My momma said you can't get married because he isn't leader of anything," said another little girl.

The children crowded close. They had all seen the entire exchange between Yuna and Tidus, including the way Yuna's gaze had followed him all the way to the shuttle and out of the docking area.

"My dad says you need to get your chocobos in a row before you get married," a little boy said. "How long will it take to get your chocobos in a row, Lady Yuna? If you need help, my cousin has a chocobo farm and he knows how to deal with them."

Yuna blushed bright red. _'How did my love life become the main discussion of children and their parents?'_

"I think you should marry him," said another boy, and there was a chorus of agreements.

"He's really nice, and he's lots of fun."

"He told me that I'll be a great blitzer someday if I train hard. My dad took me to see him play blitzball once. Sir Tidus is the best ball player ever in history!"

"I saw him play too. He can do a somersault backwards and kick the blitzball really hard."

"That's call the Jecht shot," Yuna informed the two boys. "His father taught him that, and it took him years of practice to get it right."

The eyes of all the assembled boys got as big as blitzballs.

"The Jecht shot," one said in awe, echoing the thoughts of his friends.

"Let's go practice!" said another boy, picking up the discarded blitzball and racing back to the playing area.

Yuna watched the boys go off, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Paine making her way towards her. She was picking her way through the assembled groups of people who were all making little camping areas on the large plain of grass.

'_I guess she and Baralai finally got out of bed.'_ Yuna could see the Praetor's green robe somewhere behind Paine. He was talking to another group of volunteers who were boarding another shuttle to go off into the city.

Yuna looked back at Paine, and realized her red eyes were trained on something behind Yuna. When Yuna turned to see what, she found Shelinda coming towards her from the opposite direction.

"Lady Yuna! Lady Yuna!" called Shelinda, reaching her side before Paine. She thrust a recorder in Yuna's face.

"Summoner Yuna, the loss of Bevelle is a tragedy for all. Can you give the viewers a comment?" she nodded toward the sphere recorder.

"What is your reaction? What will you and Sir Tidus do in response? Do you think that this attack was meant to eliminate you and the rest of the major party leaders in one clean swipe? Who would be that vindictive?"

The last questions made Yuna freeze. She hadn't thought of that: someone would be trying to kill her, Tidus, Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal at the same. The five major political figures in Spira had all been gathered in one place; it was the ideal situation to attack for anyone looking to prove their power. They would've eliminated any opposition to power struggles with one strike.

'_I wonder if Nooj knows this is a possibility.'_

"This is hardly the occasion for an interview," came Paine's stern voice from behind Yuna, making her jump and put her hand to her throat.

She turned to find the warrior with her arms crossed. Last night, Paine had been more broken than Yuna had ever wanted to see, but she looked back to her somber, composed self. Yuna was glad, if Paine went to pieces, there was no hope for the rest of them to remain collected and confident.

"Paine is right, Shelinda. The main priority right now is the people of Bevelle. They need our help, and now, more than ever, is the time for Spira to come together in this time of mourning."

"Spoken like a true summoner," said a little voice from somewhere near her hips. Yuna looked down to see the top of a familiar head.

"Shinra! When did you get here?"

"A little over an hour ago. Several of us flew in from Djose to help."

"Hee hee, you talk funny," said a little girl, one of several who were still running around their legs.

"It's my mask," Shinra said defensively. He looked back up at Yuna. "Can we talk?"

"Of course, we can, Shinra." Yuna smiled and began to lead him away.

"Hey, wait! What about my story?" called Shelinda.

Yuna looked back to the reporter, her hand on her chin as she thought. Her gaze went to Paine, and she was struck with inspiration.

She smiled sweetly."If you really want to know what happened, Shelinda, you should talk to Paine here. She has been here the whole time. She knows what's been happening and could tell you all the details of the situation."

Completely taken back, Paine came as close to dropping her jaw as was possible for her, which meant her lips partly slightly. She hadn't expected Yuna to throw her to the dogs like this, but then again, she had always wanted to give that Shelinda girl a piece of her mind for interfering in other people's lives.

At any rate, it was too late to refuse because Yuna had only stayed long enough to see a speechless Paine, then she was walking away with Shinra and Shelinda was looking at her expectantly.

Paine saw an excellent opportunity to put the reporter in her place. "Follow me, Shelinda. I'll show you what's happened." Paine walked toward the tent that had become the trauma center.

"What is it, Shinra?" Yuna asked him as soon as they were out of earshot from anyone else.

"Where's Tidus?"

"Oh, he went off on a search and rescue. Why? Is something wrong?" Yuna was instantly concerned.

"No, nothing's wrong. I just- I have something for him." Shinra was looking down at the hole he was digging in the dirt with the tip of his shoe.

He looked up as someone with large boots came into his vision.

"Hello, Cid. Are you finding many survivors?" Yuna asked him.

"Not much anymore," Cid said unhappily. "We were finding more last night, but now, we mostly find bodies."

Yuna dropped her head in respect and felt a shiver. So much death surrounded everyone. When they had finally gotten used to the last two years of the Calm, it was like dealing with Sin's terrible destruction all over again. She felt a sudden overwhelming need to see Tidus.

"How was the patient when you left him, sir?" asked Shinra in a low voice that got Yuna's attention.

"Still no change," Cid said, sadly.

"Who? What patient?" asked Yuna, confused.

"Gippal, and the others he was with," said Shinra.

"Gippal!?" Yuna staggered. "You've found him?"

"They did this morning. He's in the men's south hospital tent, all bandaged up and barely alive," Shinra said miserably. The boy's head dropped again.

Gippal was his friend, and in the last weeks that they had been working together, both of them had gotten close. The two had a lot in common. They both thought along the same lines, and were interested in inventing new things as well as finding old relics. Yuna knew Shinra was beginning to see Gippal as an older brother, and it would hurt him deeply to know he was missing.

'_But he's not missing. They found him. This morning?'_

"Cid, why didn't you tell us? Don't you know how worried we have all been? And Rikku…" Yuna trailed off as her anger rose with the realization.

Cid had known about Gippal, and he had left Rikku to suffer these last few hours. Hadn't he seen the way Rikku was acting? As if all her reason for living had been sucked out of her.

She had no energy, no spirit; she clearly wasn't herself. But Yuna saw it more than that, a depressed Rikku was downright scary!

Cid didn't say anything. He just stood looking sheepish and sad.

Well, Yuna wasn't going to stand for it. She wasn't going to let Rikku worry about Gippal one more moment, she knew from personal experience that was the worst pain in the world.

"You need to tell Rikku," she told Cid decisively.

Cid just looked away. "I can't."

"Oh, yes, you can! And you are!" She grabbed Cid by the arm and started pulling him away.

"Excuse us, Shinra. Cid has some explaining to do." Shinra nodded and watched her march off with Cid in tow.

Over by the Al Bhed's collapsible kitchenettes, Rikku had been helping some of the volunteers make sandwiches for the search and rescue teams returning from the wreckage. Yuna didn't let go of Cid until she had pulled him all the way over to the table where Rikku was working.

Rikku looked up curiously at the sight of Yuna yanking her father by his arm, and Cid trying to pull back at Yuna.

Yuna hated the sight of her empty eyes. Rikku should never look that pathetic, it was eerie. She was going to change that right now.

"Rikku. Cid has something to tell you. Can you come with us for a moment?"

Rikku looked at the volunteer teams taking their sandwiches from the table and slowly nodded her head. She trudged along behind Yuna, who was still pulling Cid's arm, to a private place between two tents.

At last Yuna let go of Cid. He looked like he would rather be anywhere else than there.

"Go on, Cid, tell her right now. I mean it," demanded Yuna.

Cid dug his heel into the dirt, a gesture the imposing Al Bhed leader was not accustomed to.

"Tell me what?" said Rikku small voice, her gaze moving from Yuna to Cid. "Vydran?"

Cid looked at his daughter, his heart breaking at the sight of her lifeless expression, and knew he couldn't keep the information from her.

"Around the midmornin'," he began, "we were searchin' the rock pile that had been Bevelle temple. We found a room, still mostly intact and buried beneath debris. The walls been made of stone at least three feet thick."

"The Chamber of the Fayth?" Yuna interrupted. It was the only place in the temple that would be so protected.

Cid nodded. "The Chamber of the Fayth," he continued, "was buried under large pieces of rubble from the ceiling above, but we dug around 'em. Then we heard shouting comin' from within the Chamber, but it took more hours of diggin' before we found the entrance to the chamber, and even longer before we could make a hole big enough to get a man inside.

"We pulled six men from the Chamber. Two of 'em were already dead, and the other four were fast fading away. There's not much chance any of 'em might survive the day."

Cid now dropped his eyes. He could not look at Rikku as he delivered the final blow that would severely crush his daughter.

"The men we pulled out were Gippal and his workers."

There was silence as Rikku processed this information, her blank gaze never straying from Cid.

"Gippal?" she said quietly. She barely moved, but her breathing stopped, then she began to tremble.

"He's alive, Rikku," Yuna said quickly before her cousin fainted. Before Rikku assumed the worst and thought Gippal had been one of the dead.

Rikku's head slowly turned to her, her eyes still dull. Yuna had to get through to her.

"He's in the men's south hospital tent, Rikku. And Shinra said-" but Rikku was already gone. Yuna could just see her lank form disappearing around the edge of the tent.

"Wait for me," she called, and took off after Rikku.

"Wait, stop!" called Cid. "Where are you going?"

Yuna sprang after Rikku, but the girl was moving fast. With no consideration to anyone else, she was jumping over groups of sitting people and tearing around tables and tents, cutting straight across the camp sites between her and the south hospital tent.

Yuna wasn't going to be rude and interrupt the families in their temporary homes, so she took the long away around them all, giving Rikku quite a head start.

The girl didn't even notice her cousin was chasing her. Another air raid could descend upon them at that moment, but nothing was going to stop her from reaching him. She pumped her legs faster, desperately sprinting to the south side of the refugee camp.

_'Alive. Alive. He's alive.'_

When the massive tent finally came into view, Rikku slowed just enough so she wouldn't go crashing through the doorway flap. She tore inside, frantically searching the tent's dark interior.

There were about six rows of cots leading away from her to the back of the large tent, which was bigger than Wakka and Lulu's hut thanks to the Al Bhed technology. Several healers were walking along the rows. The cots were filled with men in all states of undress, all of them covered in bandages and a few moaning in pain.

Rikku's eyes scanned the faces of the injured frantically, looking for the one that stole her breath every time she saw it, and had despaired at ever seeing it again.

"Princess Rikku." She looked up to see Commander Zimmus making his way down one of the cots' aisles towards her.

"E vekinat oui fuimt lusa frah oui raynt," he said."E ghaf ra fyc sygehk y secdyga po hud dammehk oui." (I figured you would come when you heard. I knew he was making a mistake by not telling you.)

His gaze on her was apologetic and sad. "Ra'c drec fyo." (He's this way.) Zimmus turned and walked down another aisle, moving toward the back of the hospital.

Rikku followed, but her mind was in such a state of urgency, she found the commander to be walking way too slowly for her taste. But she was far too emotional at the moment to say anything about it, so she just set herself to his sedate pace.

At least Zimmus' delay gave Yuna enough time to catch up. She entered the hospital tent, panting for breath and hands on her knees. She saw Rikku and Zimmus halfway down on one aisle, and she quickly jogged after them.

Zimmus acknowledged Yuna's presence, and led the way passed the cots of injured men.

"This morning, before your ship arrived, we found the Chamber of the Fayth in what was left of Bevelle's temple. We pulled six men out of the Chamber: Gippal, four of his young Al Bhed workers, and a young New Yenonite," spoke Zimmus.

"Two of the workers were already dead, and the others were unconscious. Except for one worker, who was babbling on in Al Bhed, thankful that we had finally found them. He fainted once we had him outside.

"We rushed the four survivors here, but they have all sustained severe injuries. They were… uh, what's the word? Tarotnydat?"

"Dehydrated," supplied Rikku between gritted teeth. She was still anxiously searching the cots they passed by.

"Yes, and they were suffering from… ujanaqbucina?"

"Overexposure."

"Oac, oac. We having been giving them potions and water, but there is little else we can do. They are all in a bad way. That's the worker who was conscious when we found them." Zimmus pointed as they passed a bed to a figure with a head encased in white bandages.

"And that is the other worker," he pointed to a man who wasn't even recognizable. 'We-… we, uh, don't have much hope he will make it," said Zimmus sadly.

"And next to him is the New Yevonite who was in the Chamber with them. We still don't know how he-"

"Gippal!" Rikku cried, rushing pass Zimmus to a patient still six beds down.

Rikku stopped just short of throwing herself over his prone form. Her hands reached out to him, desparate to touch him, but they hovered just above him, afraid of hurting him when he least needed it. There didn't seem to be a place anywhere on him that wasn't injured.

His shirt was gone, and large white bandages covered most of his belly and torso. One of his legs was in a cast, and the other in a splint. One shoulder was wrapped in straps and bandages, as if it had been dislocated and recently reset, and his left hand was in a solid mold of some sort.

His eye patch was gone; in its place was another white bandage wrapped around his forehead.

Rikku finally settled for gently gripping his uninjured right hand. She inspected the tiny cuts and scratches over it until she was certain she wouldn't hurt him, then she peered down on his bandaged face.

"Gippal?" she whispered softly. "Gippal, ed'c sa. Ed'c Rikku. E's rana. Lyh oui rayn sa?" (Gippal? Gippal, it's me. It's Rikku. I'm here. Can you hear me?)

Even in unconsciousness, battered and looking so helpless, she still thought he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. Tears stung her eyes as her other hand came up and, very lightly, she touched his spiky blonde hair.

She needed to touch him, to reassure herself that he was still alive, when she had been so certain she had lost him.

Her hand brushed lightly down over his scratched cheek and to his throat, which was encased in some sort of brace. Gently, she ran her fingertips over the cuts and tiny stitches on his bare upper chest, the part that wasn't covered by the bandages, her eyes tracing her hand's movements over him and watching his steady breathing.

She rested her hand right above his heart, feeling its comforting pulse and the rise and fall of his chest. There was a sharp tightening in her chest and she struggled not to let her tears fall.

"E's nekrd rana, Gippal. E's rana vun oui. Cu ev oui ryja yho druikrc ypuid mayjehk sa, oui paddan ghuf dryd E fuimt hajan vunkeja oui ev oui tu." (I'm right here, Gippal. I'm here for you. So if you have any thoughts about leaving me, you better know that I would never forgive you if you do.)

She laid her hand gently against his sore cheek again, then her vision blurred as several tears escaped.

Rikku didn't see that Yuna was watching her, wishing she could take away the pain her friend was feeling.

She walked pass Rikku and pulled a chair from the side of the wall. She set it behind Rikku, who sat down in it without looking at Yuna.

Rikku's head tilted and she gently set it next to Gippal's on the bed. Her lips, inches away from his ear, continued to whisper soft words to him.

Yuna turned to Zimmus, who was quietly looking on. "Will he make it?"

Rikku's head turned slightly, as if she too wanted to hear Zimmus' answer.

Zimmus sighed. "He's got one broken leg and another sprained. The bones of his left hand were crushed; we are hoping enough rare potion will heal it so he can use it again someday. Broken collarbone, dislocated shoulder, four broken and bruised ribs, he's lucky his lungs weren't punctured."

"What about the head injury?" Yuna said quietly. Gippal already couldn't see out of one eye. Was he now going to be completely blind?

"A gash on his forehead, nothing too serious. It didn't appear to damage anything, but we won't know for sure until he wakes up."

Zimmus rounded the bed so Rikku could see him. "He's tough, princess, and he's young and healthy. He'll make it. Gippal isn't one to give those terrorists the satisfaction of killing him."

Rikku made no reply, just closed her eyes and squeezed Gippal's lifeless hand.

"I knew I would find you here!" Cid's voice startled all of them.

Cid's fierce eyes caught Zimmus'. "Ed'c hud bnuban vun ouihk myteac du pa eh rana!" (It's not proper for young ladies to be in here!)

Zimmus merely looked at Rikku, peacefully lying beside the motionless Gippal. He said simply, "Oui cruimt'ja dumt ran." (You should've told her.)

"Tuh'd damm sa ruf du nyeca so kenm!" (Don't tell me how to raise my girl!)

"He's right, Cid, you should've told me." Rikku didn't even open her eyes or raise her head to speak, but her voice was chilling, a low icy tone.

It gave Yuna goose bumps. Rikku was not supposed to be this serious. She was the giddy one, always optimistic and peppy. And even though she was mean as nails in a fight, everyone was always protecting her from the most disturbing of emotions. She got upset so easily, it was no wonder why everyone always kept the trauma from her.

Cid was looking overwhelmed. First, he was seeing Rikku practically on top of another man, and now she was so mad at him she wouldn't even call him 'Vydran.'

Cid went to take a step toward her, but Yuna stopped him.

Quietly she said to him, "I know you were only trying to protect her, but she is really angry right now. You deliberately kept her in suspense, and she won't forgive you right away. Give her some time."

He scowled at her and turned away, but a moment later he said, "I just couldn't do it," His shoulders slumped in bewilderedness. "I couldn't raise her hopes, just so she could watch him…"

Yuna realized Cid didn't think Gippal would pull through, and it was killing him too. He respected Gippal and saw him as a second son. He was trying to keep the pain to himself and protect Rikku from it.

"You can't protect her forever, Cid." He hung his head.

For several long minutes, no one spoke. They watched Rikku snuggle up to Gippal, and worried over the uncertainty of his future.

"What's going on in here?" came another voice from the opposite end of the tent. "This is a hospital tent, and this is the intensive care area."

It was a medic, a doctor from the Bevelle City Hospital by the looks of his nametag, who was striding toward them. After surviving the attack, and spending the day helping the injured that kept coming into the hospital tent, the stressed-out medic looked worse than his patients.

"These men have survived a serious disaster. They need to be checked every hour. So you must all leave at once."

The doctor stared hard at Cid and Zimmus first, and Zimmus escorted Cid away. Then the medic saw Rikku and moved toward her, but Yuna said to him, "I'll get her."

Gently, Yuna laid her hand on Rikku's shoulder. "We have to leave, Rikku. Gippal needs his rest, and the doctor has to check on him."

Surprisingly, Rikku sat up without a pout. She lifted Gippal's hand to her lips and softly kissed his knuckles.

"E'mm pa pylg mydan. E bnuseca. Oui zicd luhlahdnyda uh kaddehk paddan, ugyo?" she said to him. (I'll be back later. I promise. You just concentrate on getting better, okay?)

He just kept breathing shallowly. She kissed his knuckles once more, then got up and followed Yuna out of the tent.

Outside, they found Cid and Shinra waiting for them.

"You just saw, Gippal. Is he- is he going to be okay?" asked Shinra.

Before Yuna could say anything, Rikku leaned forward and looked the boy in the face.

"Of course he is," she said. "Not even a building falling on him would keep Gippal down."

There was the beginning of her old smile around the corners of her mouth, but it still didn't blossom across her face.

"Come on, Shinra. I was helping make lunch for all the volunteers. You can help me." Rikku put her arm around his back and led him away.

Yuna watched them go, and then turned back to Cid, who was still looking downtrodden.

"Give her some time," she said, then she left too, heading back to the play area where the kids were.

Yuna was feeling lighter than she had an hour ago. Seeing Rikku perk up, and seeing that Gippal had survived this catastrophe, made her feel like anything was possible. Maybe she would talk to some of the people too, like Tidus had done, and try to cheer them up.

In the distance, she saw Shelinda. The girl had her head bent over her sphere recorder, and whatever she was watching was making tears fall down her cheeks. It looked like Paine had gotten her point across, but Yuna felt sorry for the poor girl. Maybe she could say a few words to her too.

She had only gone a few steps when she felt a tug on her skirt. Looking down, she found a small face with big apple-green eyes staring up at her.

"Lady Oona, I don't know where my mama is," said the young boy.

Yuna regarded the child. "Oh no. Did you get lost?" She quickly looked up and around for a woman desperately searching for a lost child.

"He didn't get lost," said another young voice. Yuna looked to see an older boy, about nine years old, come up behind the younger boy. Both boys had large apple-green eyes.

"Is this your brother?" Yuna asked him kindly. Maybe the boy wasn't lost but had just wandered away.

"No, he's my cousin," the boy said in a harsh voice. "His name is Ippsy, and I'm Amon. We are orphans."

'_Oh, how terrible'_ Yuna's heart went out to the two boys, but she wasn't sure what to say. There was so much anger in Amon's face, as if he was mad at the whole world. Little Ippsy was just looking up at him, not comprehending the situation.

"So do you know where my mama is, Lady Oona?" asked Ippsy again.

"You idiot! You're mama's dead, so is mine. You saw the house; it was crushed. None of them lived." Amon was yelling at him, and poor Ippsy didn't understand why.

The poor little boy. He reminded Yuna of the irritated parents that couldn't deal with their own children when their own emotions were in havoc. Yuna didn't know what to do.

"Hey, you two, why don't we go play with the other kids," she suggested hesitantly.

Amon crossed his arms. "All they play is baby games," he said snidely.

Yuna quickly changed her approach. "Then why don't we let Ippsy play and you and I can sit and talk like grown-ups."

Amon seemed to consider this, then he nodded as if it were a very wise decision.

Yuna reached out and took Ippsy's hand, and then reached for Amon's, but the little boy just gave her a disgusted look and walked toward the play area.

After a while, Yuna tried fishing for information. "So where did you two live?"

"In our house, but it was flattened," said Ippsy. He stuck his thumb in his mouth and seemed content that he had answered one question.

"We were at Aunt Tigris's house for lunch," said Amon, "but I sneaked away, and Ippsy followed me, even though I told him not to, but he wouldn't leave me alone. He kept following me around the marketplace, and when the bombs went off, the fruit seller pulled us into his house. After everything fell down, the front door was blocked, so we had to climb out the attic window."

"The rocks were piled up to the upstairs," said Ippsy around his thumb. "The rocks covered the door."

"When we found our way back home, it was under the building next to it that fell over. Everyone is dead. My mom, Aunt Tigris, Uncle Yellow, and all our other cousins. They are all dead. And we are alive because we sneaked out."

Amon was really upset, his apple-green eyes filled with pain, and he had a bad case of survivor's guilt. The boy was still so young, but yesterday, he had grown up in a matter of hours. Yuna could see his aching heart, but he was not going to cry, the boy was too proud for that.

"You know, my mom and dad died when I was younger than you," said Yuna gently. "It hurts now because you are so sad, but it gets better in time. I think your both very brave boys."

Ippsy smiled and started talking about his pet turtle, which he obviously didn't have anymore, but Amon made no reply. After a few more moments, however, Amon's little hand slipped into Yuna's free hand. She gave his small fingers a squeeze.

When they got back to the play area, Ippsy sat right down and started playing marbles with the other children. Yuna sat down on a bench that had been set up for the parents watching their children, and Amon sat next to her.

Yuna ventured to put her arm around the little boy, and he didn't draw away, but leaned into her arm. She snuggled him close, hoping to give the boy any comfort she could.

His story broke her heart. These sweet little boys were all alone. What was he and his cousin going to do now? And how could she help?

She didn't know how to handle situations like this; she was so out of her league.

Disheartened, she looked off toward the city. She wanted his arms around her at that moment, she needed the comfort.

'_You better be safe and sound,'_ she sent the message silently. _'And come back to me soon.'_

The Ruins of Bevelle City

"On my count of three, you four raise the smaller slab, you two push down on the planks, and everyone shove this giant rock as hard as you can. Ready? One, two, threeeeeee."

Tidus pushed with all his might. The other men next to him groaned under the strain as they did too.

"Okay, stop! Put them down," Tidus yelled. Everyone let go and stepped back from the giant rocks they had been struggling to move. They stretched their aching arms and shook out their hands.

Tidus flexed his fingers too, trying to get some feeling back in them. He signaled the driver of the machina digger to pause and give everyone a break.

They had been at this for a few hours, clearing the rocks away from an apartment complex. A giant rock slab had fallen over the floor of the apartment and it appeared to have kept the building underneath intact. The only problem was now moving the slab to see if anyone had survived.

"Okay, one more good push like that and I think we'll have it," Tidus called. "Everyone in same positions. On three… One, two, threeeeee."

Again, all the men pushed and the machina pulled. This time the rock slab kept sliding, and it popped free. The little slab that had been covering it fell as the four men holding it dropped it.

A great cloud of dust rose up with the crashes. Several of the men cheered at their success. Tidus coughed and closed his eyes so none of the rising dust would get in them.

When the debris settled, they all looked at their handiwork. They had managed to open up half the side of the apartment complex and were looking at a cut-away of the structure. The entire place was mostly intact, but it looked like it was about to come down at any moment.

'_Still, people could be alive in there somewhere,'_ thought Tidus, staring pensively up at the death trap that only yesterday had been someone's home. _'We have no choice but to go in and search.'_

Tidus observed the apartment they had unearthed. It looked highly unstable. It would be risky to send anyone in there to search for survivors, and poking around in there could shake the frail foundation.

The men gradually turned to Tidus, waiting to hear what he would say next. They had unofficially elected him their team leader, and quite by accident actually.

When they had first arrived in the middle of the crumpling city, most of them had lost their reserve, and a few had actually broken down into tears. Devastation like what they found around them was something only a few of them had ever witnessed. It was indeed a gloomy sight, and they were so overcome with sorrow that they had all but forgotten the reason they had come.

Tidus had not intended to be one to give orders, but it had been immediately apparent that none of the men around him had any experience with this type of situation. Not that he had much more, seeing the destruction of Zanarkand was about it, but if someone didn't take control, they were all going to stand around all day while any survivors in this destruction died.

And Tidus was never one to let things go undone.

He had turned out to be quite a good manager, organizing the others according to their strengths and dexterity, incorporating the machina and even considering the precautions. With his strategical arrangement of their resources, they had made efficient use of their time.

All afternoon, the work had gone smoothly, and their progress had been swift. Everyone had gotten along together, it had something to do in the way he gave orders. Not even making them orders, but not passive requests either, and it made them all want to jump up and listen to him.

And then he was so easy going and energetic that it was impossible to not like him. He didn't sit back and watch, he was getting his hands dirty helping them out. They had joined up with several other teams, and they too had followed his natural leadership, the original captains falling right into place in face of his practical direction without any squabbles over dominance.

Over the last few hours, he had earned the respect of every man there.

Besides knowing he was the High Summoner's boyfriend, they had also known him to be a frank diplomat, based on what the newspapers had been saying about him all week. Now they saw him as a common man who was firm and sensible, a man who got things done.

"Everyone is officially allowed to chicken-out of going in there," Tidus announced. "There is absolutely no shame in not taking chances."

He looked around at the assembled men, all awaiting his next words.

"It might collapse at any second, so everyone is forgiven for not wanting to go in. But we still have a duty to anyone in there, dead or alive, so it should only be a few light people at a time."

He looked to a few of the smallest and lightest men. "Any volunteers for the first shift?"

Some of them went completely ashen and stepped back with trembling legs. The others looked just as scared, but they stepped forward bravely.

Tidus nodded to them. "Alright, partner up and enter through the separate rooms to spread out our weights. Step lightly and carefully, but if the building starts coming down, get your butts out of there." He said this last part with vigor, making sure they all knew he meant it.

"We'll work in twenty minute shifts, then we'll come back and switch off with others."

The volunteers all nodded in understanding, and those with partners approached the building spread out to different entrances. There was one man left over, and Tidus joined him.

"Okay, it's you and me then," he said to his volunteer with a grin. "What's your name?"

"Niler, Sir Tidus," said the young man with a respectful bow.

Tidus turned to another man holding a commesphere. "Radio the medical shuttle. Tell them we finally got to the apartments and we need help searching. We're also going to find a few injured,… and definitely casualties."

The man bowed to him and turned on his commsphere.

Tidus and Niler walked toward the building, looking for an opening for them to enter through. Tidus looking over the other man questionably. They were likely to encounter a lot of bodies in there, and Tidus wondered if the young man had the stomach for it.

Niler returned Tidus gaze. "Let's go then," he said, and walked toward an entryway.

'_Well, at least he won't fall to pieces under pressure.'_ Tidus followed him. Lightly, they both stepped into the first room and picked their way through shattered glass and overturned furniture.

Over the next hour, they inevitably found many bodies of the deceased, and worked to carry them out to the medic shuttle awaiting them. The men lingering outside managed to gather their courage and entered the complex when their turn came, and other search teams arrived to help clear out the deceased to be carted off for a proper burial.

On his third shift into the complex, Tidus found himself in the kitchenette of one condo. There was a woman's body on the floor, partially buried by a large hunk of the ceiling.

With little difficulty, he managed to lift the debris from her body, and then he took a moment to squat down and look at the pretty young lady. He had seen many dead bodies that day, but he still couldn't help thinking how shameful it was to waste her young life like this.

'_Another unfair detail of the grown-ups' world,'_ he thought glumly.

He thought of Sir Auron, and wondered what the old guardian would say to him at a time like this. His father would call him a typical crybaby for complaining about an inevitable fact of life, but Sir Auron would say it a little less blunt than that. And he would probably say it in the context of a mystifying riddle that would leave Tidus with a headache.

'_That old man never could say anything straight out. I wonder how they are dealing with the large infusion of new members to the Farplane.'_

At that moment, another man came in through the kitchen door behind him. "Sir Tidus, several more teams have arrived to take over for those that have been out here. We're supposed to go back to the base camp and rest."

The man looked over Tidus' shoulder and saw the woman's body sprawled across the floor. Softly he said, "I'll help you get her out to the shuttle."

"She's not dead," said Tidus in awe.

"She's not?" The man came forward excitedly. He could just see the slight rise and fall of the woman's chest. "She's not dead, but she's almost there."

"Then we better hurry," said Tidus, standing up and moving to the woman's side. "Take her other side, but be careful. Her legs were crushed under the rock."

Both of them gently lifted the lady and carried her outside. Two men with a stretcher came forward and took her to the medic shuttle where the healers pulled out High Potions for their patient.

"Where's Niler?" Tidus asked, looking around.

"Still in there, sir," replied the man who had helped him. Without another word, Tidus turned and went back for him. It was another demonstration of admiration in the eyes of the others watching him.

"Niler?" Tidus called as he walked around the complex, coming back to the place he had found the woman. "Niler?"

"Up here, Sir Tidus," he heard the young man call back from somewhere above him. He had to ascend a wobbly staircase to follow Niler's voice. Down a hallway and in a child's room, Tidus found him peering into a dark closet.

"There's a boy in there," said Niler steadily. "He won't come out."

'_A boy?Still alive?'_ Tidus came forward and saw a child huddled on the floor of the closet, his arms and legs pulled close to his body.

The boy _was_ alive, and he was repeatedly crying over and over, "She won't wake up, Kiku won't wake up. Wake up, Kiku. Why won't you wake up?"

Tidus saw the boy was holding a tiny kitten, stroking his fuzzy back. He crouched down in front of the boy. "Is that Kiku?" he asked.

The boy raised his tear-stained eyes, his face pale and dark circles under his eyes. '_How long has he been in this closet?'_

"Kiku won't wake up," he said again and raised the kitten, which was quite obviously dead.

"Let me see. Maybe I can help." This situation clearly needed to be handled delicately. Without making any sudden movements, Tidus held out his hand to the boy, who after a few long minutes of consideration, relinquished his prize to Tidus.

Tidus pretended to inspect the dead kitten, knowing the boy was watching him like a hawk to make sure he wouldn't mishandle his treasure. "Kiku isn't going to wake up because she's having a pleasant dream." He looked up and smiled gently at the boy.

"She's dreaming of playing with her momma and papa, and all her brothers and sisters, and she doesn't want to wake up. So we should just let her sleep." Tidus set the dead cat down on the mattress of the bed.

"What's your name, kiddo?"

"H-Harkly," said the boy with a trembling lip.

"Okay, Harkly, how about we get you out of there. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry and could go for supper right about now." Tidus reached out his arms enticingly for the boy.

Harkly stared at Tidus, distrust warring with desperation in his eyes, but then he said, "I can't move my feet."

"Well, sitting in a closet all day will do that to you. Your legs got bored and went to sleep," Tidus chuckled.

He reached forward and gently put his arms around the boy's little body; Harkly's arms came up and circled his neck. Tidus pulled him from the closet, and the boy cried out in pain as the blood shot to his legs and they began to wake up.

"Don't worry, you'll be able to move them in about an hour," Tidus told him, rubbing his back soothingly. The child buried his face in Tidus' neck, whimpering and not saying anything.

Tidus turned to Niler, who was watching the whole scene with so much respect in his eyes you would have thought Tidus was glowing with a halo. "Come on, Niler, you lead the way."

Niler nodded and walked out of the room. He helped Tidus down the stairs with Harkly, but the child was reluctant to let go of Tidus, so he had to carry him all the way out of the building.

The sight of Sir Tidus carrying that child out of the ruined building was an image not one person there ever forgot. The teams that had arrived were a mixture of Youth League, New Yevon, Al Bhed, and even a few professional Blitzball players, and all of them were there to witness an event which was to change the course of history.

Someone had brought a sphere recorder with them, and had been filming when Niler emerged, followed by Tidus holding Harkly. The footage would eventually find its way onto the public broadcasts, and even more people would see it, and sense the noble spirit that drove Tidus' commitment. Like all of those there who witnessed it firsthand, they would be inspired anew to keep hoping and searching for the survivors.

Tidus carried the boy all the way to the medic shuttle, because he refused to be put down on the stretcher. Finally, on the bed in the medic shuttle, Tidus set the boy down and unwound his arms from around his neck.

The woman he had found earlier in the kitchen was in the next bed and Tidus realized that Harkly and the lady had been found in the same place.

"Do you know that lady?" Tidus asked him, who turned to see his…"Mama!"

Tidus smiled at him. "These people are going to take good care of you and your mama. You'll be good as new in no time." Tidus ruffled his hair playfully. "You know, you're quite a very brave little man." With those praising words ringing in the boy's ears, Tidus left him and jumped off the shuttle to the stares of an amazed audience.

He looked around curiously, wondering why everyone was looking at him.

"Sir Tidus," said Niler, coming up beside him, his eyes still filled with veneration. "Our shuttle is ready to take us back to the base camp."

"Great, then let's go. I could really go for a bite about now." Tidus grinned and walked with Niler to the machina shuttle, not noticing the eyes of the crowd still following his every move.

Tidus jumped up into the shuttle behind Niler and sat down beside him. He recognized the men around him as the team he had been working with all afternoon. They were covered with dust and scratches, and looked quite exhausted. They were all staring at him too.

'_What does everyone keep looking at? Do I have something in my teeth?'_ But he knew that couldn't be it because his stomach was painfully reminding him how long it had been since he'd eaten.

To distract himself from hunger, and the stares the others were giving him, he turned to Niler and asked, "So, where you from?"

"Kilika, Sir Tidus," answered Niler.

"Hey, hey, now. None of this 'Sir Tidus' stuff anymore. It makes me sound old. It's just Tidus, okay?"

"Very well, Tidus," Niler said, his voice still heavy with respect.

Looking closer at Niler, Tidus realized the young man was actually a few years older than himsef. And the more he looked, the more obvious it was. He had thought Niler lightweight, but he was just tall, and definitely had more muscle on him than Tidus.

'_And he's calling me Sir Tidus as if I'm some elder of his.' _

"Well, it was great you came all the way here to help out," Tidus said, trying to get the man to talk.

"I, uh, I came hoping to find some people," Niler said, lowering his eyes.

"Oh, you had friends in Bevelle," Tidus asked skeptically, this was a touchy subject.

"My family. My sisters and brother, and all their kids," Niler said sadly. "A total of eighteen people, and I haven't managed to find any of them.

Tidus didn't know what to say. He felt so inadequate for these types of conditions. He was glad the only person looking to him for support and guidance was Yuna, although, after the day like this, he felt like he needed her support right about now.

Tidus put his hand on Niler's shoulder. "You'll find them. They've been finding survivors all day, some of them are bound to have turned up at the base camp by now."

The despairing look on Niler's face said he wasn't holding out much hope. "I should never have left Bevelle." He said with regret. "My nieces and nephews, I love them all, but there were just so many of them and they were driving me crazy."

A nostalgic smile crossed Niler's face. "My siblings loved living in a big family growing up, and they all made sure to have big families too. They spend everyday together, and it's always mass chaos at their homes. I was the youngest one in the family, and I moved to Kilika because I needed my own space, away from the screaming and ever-energetic kids."

Niler's face fell again. "And now, I've lost them all."

Tidus could see the poor man was on the brink of tears. "Hey, you can't give up yet. The best thing about family is that they stick together, and never give up. You're sure to find them once we get back, in the hospital tents or the camps or somewhere."

Then Tidus knew exactly what he wanted to say.

"I'll tell you what, I'll even help you look for them."

Niler looked up, his gratitude shining through the shimmering tears in his apple-green eyes.

* * *

**Okay, I'm going to be burned on this chapter for jumping out of character (especially the Tidus' perspective), but I did want this fanfic to be about them growing up. I mean, come on, can you imagine hunky, playful Tidus aging into the perfect combination of village leader and boyish humor? That would be sooo sexy, the perfect man. **

**I have big expectations for him, so I needed to demonstrate his leadership skills, that he will be the type of guy people will follow to victory. But I'm getting ahead of myself, I'm not going to spoil the upcoming chapters.**

**I am proud of the Rikku/Gippal scene. ****I can't wait to write the reunioun scenes, but I need to write a 10 page Bio report before then, so it might take me a while to get back to this.**

**Thank you for reading all the way to this point! I give you cookies and ice cream and hugs! **

**(I hope I left enough clues that people will understand the connections.)**


	3. Chapter 3 A Sunset on Bevelle

**FFFFFFFFFFIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!**

**I've spent the last 3 months trying to decide how I was going to apologize for the tardiness of this chapter, but now that it's done, I don't want to waste any more time on it. And it is VERY long, hopefully that makes up for the late update. So with no jazzy intro here's the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Final Fantasy**

**P.S. I know some scenes mimic a few movies. No burns for that please, just go with it.**

* * *

"Were those trees always there?"

"I don't remember seeing them on our way out."

"They must've been. A forest doesn't spring up outta no where."

Tidus lazily glanced around to where the two men were pointing, only half interested in the conversation. By the time he looked though, the shuttle was already too far away and they were turning out of sight. It was only a few more minutes before they arrived back at the base camp.

Tidus jumped down from the shuttle. "Come on, Niler. We can check the mess halls first and get something to eat at the same time."

He truly intended to help the man find his family, but right now he could probably eat a chocobo and still be hungry.

And he should find Yuna too, to let her know he was back.

With a start, he realized this had been the longest time they had spent apart from each other since he had been back. An entire month, and never more than a few hours had separated them. It was a small occurrence, but the realization made him edgy to see her.

Yuna. Food. Lost family.

Preferably in that order.

He took the path that would lead them past the kids' playing area on the way to the food tables, hoping to see her on their way.

Niler was lagging behind him, and Tidus shifted impatiently from one foot to another. He didn't want to tell the man to hurry, but there were still so many things that he wanted to get done, and he never was one to take his time.

Nevertheless, he matched his stride to Niler's and tried to get him to talk some more, all the while looking up ahead, trying to spot Yuna in the distance.

At last she came into view. Exactly where he had left her, still watching the circle of playing children and holding one on her lap.

"There's my girl," he announced at last. The evident pride in his voice made Niler take notice.

"The High Summoner?" Now Niler sounded nervous, it wasn't just anyone that was presented on a first name basis to the most powerful lady in Spira. But at least it was different kind of uncertainty than the worry for his family.

"That's right. The self-appointed Savior of Spira," said Tidus with a proud grin. "My Yuna. And don't let her modestly fool you. Even though she denies it, she loves helping others, and it's impossible for her to turn down a mission that would save all of Spira. She doesn't know any other way to exist.

Forgetting Niler was going slowly, he picked up his pace. "Come on, I'll introduce you."

After a few more quick steps, Tidus raised his hand to his mouth and whistled loudly. Several heads turned toward him, as did all of the playing children who exclaimed joyously over his return, but it was only Yuna's eyes, turning to look at him filled with happy expectation, that he could see.

"Yuna," he called, waving one arm to direct her attention.

Their gazes met and glowed with love, happiness, and relief. A cheery smile spread over her face, and Tidus knew his own smile was beaming right back to her. He made the decision he was going to run the rest of the distance separating them.

But just as the intention formed in his mind and his foot prepared to push off the ground, he was aware of a blur of clothing rushing past him.

It was Niler, and he was full-out sprinting for the place where Yuna sat.

It took Tidus a second to absorb this fact, and then he only reacted, taking off as fast as he could after Niler.

A cold dread filled him with adrenaline. After all, Niler was still a stranger, someone he had only met this afternoon, and the man was putting himself between a Summoner and her guardian.

Taking in the entire scene before him, Tidus saw Yuna regarding Niler's actions curiously, her gaze jumping from him back to Tidus with a questioning look. Tidus ran faster, desperate to put himself between Niler and Yuna, to intercept any potential threat to her, but Niler was already far ahead of him.

Outside this main line of concentration, Tidus saw the child in Yuna's lap struggling to get out of her arms. Yuna looked down at the boy and let him go. As soon as the boy was free, his feet hit the ground and he took off running toward Niler.

Tidus had a sneaking suspicion and slowed his running pace. He watched Niler stop and fall to his knees on the ground. The young boy who had escaped Yuna's lap ran right into Niler's outstretched arms.

"Uncle Ni!" Both man and boy embraced firmly, as if they would never let each other go. Tears that had been kept in check for far too long were finally released and spilled down both cheeks of Niler and his nephew, releasing all the pent-up distress and fear that had been torturing them for more than two days.

"Amon, Amon," Niler murmured to the boy, stroking his back and hair to comfort himself as much as the boy.

Amon buried his face in Niler's dusty shirt, uncaring that those watching might think he was a crybaby. Finally, FINALLY, something made sense to him again. Something had gone right. His little boy's perception of the world had been momentarily restored, and all his feelings of hopelessness were allowed to disappear. He didn't have to pretend to be strong and brave anymore, or worry about Ippsy. Uncle Niler was here and those responsibilities had been lifted from his young shoulders.

All of Amon's terror and sadness over the attack on his home finally erupted. The unexpected, but welcoming sight of his favorite uncle released all the stress and urgency on his young mind. More agony than any child had the right to endure, but he had done it for his younger cousin, but now that shield melted away in his uncle's arms.

It was this happy reunion that Tidus came upon, looking down at the grateful and relieved pair with shining eyes, slightly ashamed he could have thought Niler would've ever had any ill intentions toward Yuna.

'_But then again, that's why you're such an effective guardian. You will always see any possible danger to her.'_

Tidus' head snapped up and he quickly looked around in all directions.

Had he just heard that? Or was it just in his mind? It had sounded just like… but that was impossible. There was no way Auron could've… could he?

'_Could that old rascal still be preaching to me from the afterlife?'_

"Uncle Ni! Uncle Ni-Ni" shouted another voice, capturing Tidus' attention. Another young boy was running towards them. Yuna was slowly following.

Niler lifted his head from the first boy's shoulder and smiled more broadly than before. One arm let go of Amon to reach for Ippsy, then he held close both boys to his heart, two treasures he thought he had lost forever, graciously returned to him. If nothing else came of this day, at least he had this moment with his two nephews, a small part of the family he once knew, now reduced and embodied in these two kids, but still, it was enough.

Tears were also streaming down Yuna's face as she came upon the touching scene. The sight before her was truly a miracle.

Tidus moved to her side and took her hand. Her eyes lifted to his, glazed over in happy tears. To see these two boys reunited with someone from their family, after she had despaired over their ominous future, was the perfect aspiration to the end of a day that had seen so much disaster and lost.

Even if beautiful Bevelle was flattened, and so many had been left homeless, and no one knew who was responsible, hope was still alive in the spirit of strangers helping strangers. It truly made you appreciate what little you had. It wasn't houses or decorative buildings, it was those around you, those you cared for, that were important enough. And if they all kept working together, then maybe miracles like Amon's and Ippsy's could happen.

Yuna pressed her wet eyes against Tidus' shirt. A wave of many different emotions flowing over her, but mainly, hope, relief, love, and gratitude to any unseen spirits that had brought him back to her safely.

"You came back," she whispered. It wasn't what she meant to say, she wasn't sure what she wanted to say, but it seemed to sum up all she was feeling at that moment.

"I said I would," Tidus whispered back, his hand coming up to rest against the back of her hair. "We may have to be apart at times, Yuna, but I promised I would always return to you."

It was a petty conversation, not even necessary for they already knew it all to be true, but still, they needed to say it at that moment. Niler, Amon, and Ippsy's experience was the perfect reminder of how tenuous life was, and it could all be taken away in a mere instant. They needed to be together at that moment for the reassurance that lesson demanded.

"But where are the others?"

"They're dead! All dead! Dead, dead, DEAD!" Sobs accompanied Amon's exclamation.

"Uncle Ni-Ni, a building fell on Aunt Tigris' house. But we didn't see it cause me and Amon sneaked out and we was in the fruit man's house. Are we in trouble? Amon made me do it." It was Ippsy's little voice pulled Yuna out of her reverie with Tidus.

The younger boy still didn't comprehend the seriousness of the situation, and he probably wouldn't for several more years. But poor Amon, he seemed to finally let out his pain, and the first step of healing had begun for him. She had been trying in vain to get him to open up all afternoon, but it was the appearance of his uncle that had gotten through to him. It wasn't going to help if Ippsy interfered with his own little boy priorities.

Yuna stepped out of Tidus' embrace and put her hand on Ippsy's shoulder. "Hey Ippsy, why don't we go set up the marble game again and you can show your uncle the hop-skip move you learned today?"

Ippsy's little eyes brightened. "Yes! Yes! Let's do it, Oona." He looked back to his uncle, who was looking reluctant to let go of him. "Will you come see, Uncle Ni-Ni?"

Niler looked questioningly up at Yuna. She nodded to Amon, who still had his face buried in Niler's shoulder. "He needs you more right now," she whispered. "Ippsy and I will be waiting."

Yuna's reassuring smile charmed Niler into letting go of Ippsy and wrapping both arms around the distraught Amon. Yuna took Ippsy's hand and led him back to the circle of kids, casting one last glance at Tidus, wordless communication and understanding passing between them.

"Don't worry, Amon. We'll find them," Niler said gently to the still sobbing boy.

"No! No, we won't!" cried Amon. "I saw the house, they were all dead, all of them! No one lived! Only…only us-" his voice broke on a sob.

"Hey, you can't give up little man," Tidus said to the wailing boy. Amon's tear-streaked face looked up at the tall blonde man.

"If your uncle Niler had given up looking for you, he would never have found the two of you. There are a lot of people that survived, a lot that were pulled out of the wreckage. There still might be someone you know out there."

Amon sadly shook his head. "No," he said more calmly, "They all died in Aunt Tigris' kitchen."

"How do you know? There's always the chance they lived. The dead have been known to come back before." Amon raised his head sharply and Tidus quickly checked himself. "Niler thought you were dead, and yet here you are. You can't give up yet."

It was just something about the blonde hair man that made Amon believe him, or at least cheer up a little. Maybe it was the certainty in his voice, or the conviction in his expression, and at the moment, Amon needed faith in something.

Niler too was drawing strength and encouragement from Tidus' certainty. "He's right Amon. We are a family, and families stick together no matter what. Someone has to be around here somewhere. There's got to be a chance the others made it."

Amon's face was filled with fragile hope. He didn't say anything, but lay his head against Niler's shoulder, his arms circling his neck. Niler stood with Amon still in his arms, hugging him close.

Tidus was reminded of Harkly and wondered how that little boy was doing.

"Uncle Ni-Ni! Come and see," called Ippsy from a distance. Niler looked at Tidus, a man to a man, and they nodded in mutual respect, then they walked over to join Yuna and the rest of the kids.

"Now watch Uncle Ni-Ni," said Ippsy, "It's all about the force and direction." Ippsy sounded like he was quoting one of the older boys who had taught him this trick.

"Wait, no. That wasn't it. I can do it, watch. No, that wasn't it either. Wait, I need to set it up again. Look, look, okay. No that's not it. Watch again."

After letting the kids wrestle him to the ground and then throwing a blitzball back to a group of boys, Tidus announced, "Okay, those sandwiches are sounding good." There was a chorus of disappointed moans from the children who grabbed his hands and legs and tried to pull him back to the ground.

"Hey, come on, guys. A fella's got to eat." He managed to untangle himself from their grips.

"Check on Rikku, too," Yuna added.

"Roger." Tidus saluted her and walked away.

Yuna was still worried about her cousin, but it wasn't until Tidus was out of earshot that she realized she hadn't mentioned Gippal.

'_Oh well, he'll find out soon enough from Rikku.'_

Tidus took the shortest route to the snack tables, where he found most of the rest of his team members from the afternoon already there. From the dining tables, they greeted him and called out in friendly welcome. Tidus returned their greetings as he made his way to the buffet table, at least it looked like a wonderful buffet to Tidus who felt like he hadn't eaten in days.

He was halfway through his first sandwich before he noticed Rikku busy behind the counter. "Hyah Ruf-fo," he said around a mouthful of food, causing him to severely start choking.

Rikku quickly came around the counter and pounded him on the back.

"Still eating too fast and choking on your food," she said, exasperated. "You need to learn to slow down." She handed him a glass of water he gratefully accepted.

He gulped half of it down and gasped in relief. "Thanks, Rikku. I don't see why I need to change my habits when I have you to save me from food suffocation," he teased.

Rikku rolled her eyes at him and walked back around the counter. "And what if I'm not around on one fateful day? What are you going to do then?" He figured that was a rhetorical question since she didn't look like she was expecting any answer.

"So I guess this means they found Gippal," he said before taking another big bite. Her sarcastic, almost humorous attitude indicated her slightly better mood, and there would only be one reason why.

"Yunie didn't tell you?" He shook his head.

"Cid didn't tell us before, but they found him and three others this morning," she said it bitterly and sliced a fruit in front of her a little too roughly. "He was in the Chamber of the Fayth at the temple."

"Leave it to that guy to find the only stable room in the city. I knew he wouldn't stay missing."

Rikku looked up at him. "You don't seem too relieved or surprised."

"Well, duh, of course not. It's gonna take more than a few old broken buildings to kill that guy. Gippal's way too arrogant to just give up."

"That's almost exactly what Rikku said."

Tidus jumped about a foot in the air and started choking on his food again. He grabbed the water glass and downed the rest of it.

"Shinra! Oh man, I swear, you have a talent for popping out of nothingness. If I didn't know better, I would think you had a secret network of tunnels under Spira that you use for your convenience."

"No, I'm just small and agile, and no one rarely pays attention to a kid. But… an underground network of tunnels? You know, that's a great idea," Shinra said thoughtfully. "If you could run machina power lines through it all, and bury machina shuttles… you could have a whole underground road system. All it would really need is a few months preparation, and it would decrease sky traffic-"

"Oh, great job. Thank you very much, Tidus," said Rikku sarcastically as she slapped together another sandwich. She managed to hand it off to a worker with a polite nod.

"What? What did I do?"

"You got Shinra started on a new idea. Now he and Gippal will lock themselves up in Dijose's factory for months and perfect this new idea."

"Hey, all I did was make a off-handed remark. It wasn't a suggestion," Tidus said defensively, putting his hands out as if to ward off Rikku's accusations. Rikku just rolled her eyes again and walked off.

Tidus turned to Shinra and motioned that they should move out of Rikku's listening range, not before grabbing another few handfuls of sandwiches.

"Well, what's with her?" he asked as soon as they had moved away. "I wanted her to get some of her pep back, but not this meanness too. It wasn't like it was a bad idea either. An underground train system would be very convenient."

"She's just worried over Gippal," Shinra replied. The boy's head dropped. "I just heard that another one of the workers that was in the Chamber with him, finally… gave up about an hour ago. They-… they took him away."

Shinra shuffled his feet. "Gippal still hasn't woken up yet. He was really hurt."

Shinra then reached into his pocket and pulled out a slivery blue sphere. He looked at it for a moment, then held it up to Tidus. "Gippal… he wanted you to have this."

"_Wants_, Shinra. Gippal _wants_ me to have it. There's no past tense about it," Tidus said firmly as he put his hand on the kid's shoulder. "That guy's not beat yet."

"_Wants_, then, but it is for you."

Tidus lifted the sphere from his hand and examined it. "What is it?"

"A dress sphere. Well, actually, more like an armor sphere," Shinra said. "Gippal found it in some ruins around Djose and we have been studying it for a few weeks. It has a great potential power at its core, a large capacity for damage. It seems to have once been a male warrior's armor and weapon. Gippal thought the best place for it would be with the guardian of the most powerful person in Spira."

"_Thinks_, Shinra. Gippal _thinks_," Tidus corrected him again absently. He was looking at the rich blue color of the sphere, it was very mesmerizing.

'_My own armor sphere,'_ he thought, _'Now I can finally put that garment grid to better use.'_ Shinra had given him a garment grid at their first meeting, but his only dress sphere had been one of traditional Yevon robes, which he had worn while accompanying Yuna to several formal meetings. He didn't particularly care for it.

"Right, he _thinks_. But I have to ask you to not try it on just yet. We weren't finished analyzing it and it contains many secret functions. Yuna would murder me if you accidentally triggered some self-destruct sequence. Wait until you and I have some free time together so I can explain some features and we can explore the rest of its workings."

"Alright, I hear ya," said Tidus. "How about tomorrow morning?" He was eager to try it on and try it out. Great power? He wanted to see it.

"Tomorrow?... I-I guess," said Shinra distractedly. Tidus pulled his eyes away from the sphere to see Shinra looking off in the distance, towards one of the men's hospitals. No doubt where Gippal was.

"Gippal's going to make it, Shinra," Tidus said gently, tucking the dress sphere into one of his pouches.

"So much death… so much destroyed." The boy's head turned toward the ruined city. "It was such a lovely city…"

Tidus looked out on the crumbling city. It had been butchered all right, and he had seen the damage close up. The sun was just beginning to turn the sky orange as it set. The sight reminded him of the first time he had seen Zanarkand while on Yuna's pilgrimage, when he had realized he was all that was left of what had been his bright and lively home.

"Shinra, you can't change what happened," He began hesitantly. "The past is just that, passed. All you can do is preserve the memory of what has been and look to the future by rebuilding bigger and better." It was on this train of thought that a sudden idea struck Tidus.

"Shinra, Yuna once told me that you thought it was possible to harness energy from the Farplane to power all the machina in a city."

Shinra looked up, confused at his change of tone from reverence to excitement, not to mention the sudden change of subject. "Yes, it might be possible."

"And knowing you, you have already been working on the project. How far away are you from powering up a city?"

"Uh, well, there are still hundreds of variables continuing to complicate progress. Harnessing the energy is simple compared to the methods and upkeep of generators that would need to extend over an area of several miles and would need-"

"Whoa, Shinra. You lost me. Just tell me how long it would be until you got it up and running."

"Hmm, at the current rate of experiments, I would say about eleven years."

"A decade? That's it? That's perfect!"

Shinra still looked confused. "Now you lost _me_."

"Shinra, don't you get it? We are going to rebuild Bevelle. Make a New Bevelle." He faced the destruction again and extended his arms to indicate the sight. "I know it looks pretty bleak right now, and our first priority should be to take care of the refugees. But eventually, we are going to rebuild Bevelle. Make it bigger and better."

He looked back down at Shinra with a glint in his eye. "And you are the perfect person to design the new city."

"_Me?" _squeaked Shinra. "What are you talking about? I can't design a city out of that rubble." He pointed to the ruins.

"It won't be rubble forever, Shinra. Think of it as… as a blank page, just waiting for you to draw up a design using your genius. The refugees here will still call this place home, and they will rebuild their houses and shops, even if it's with their bare hands. But if you gave them direction, and blueprints and designs, they could build it more beautiful than it already was. And you could lay down the wiring foundation to have the machina light up the city. You could even put in that underground train system."

Shinra thought about what Tidus was saying. It was true that he had been secretly testing Farplane energy in hopes of incorporating it into a few Al Bhed towns someday, but could it all be so easy that he would have an entire city to design from scratch? He could put down anything, lay the foundation in the very walls of every building, and use any material for future inventions he still hadn't gotten around to making.

He had always thought there were structural flaws in Bevelle's layout. It was much too old-fashioned for innovative machina, and it was clearly defenseless, a fact that might have something to do with why it was so easily destroyed. He could change all of that with a well-thought out blueprint.

"But… but why would anyone want me to redesign the city? I'm just a kid." And for once, he didn't use this line as a wimpy excuse, but as a truth.

"Why not you, Shinra? You are the kid-genius who designed garment grids and hundreds of other machine inventions. I don't know anyone else more qualified for the job." Tidus was sounding so enthusiastic, and poor Shinra was still not used to his 'nothing is impossible for me' attitude.

"It will eventually be up to the people of Belvelle, and Spira, though. Won't it?" Shinra asked, still skeptical.

"Well, yeah, I guess there is that," Tidus said sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "But still, think about it Shinra. Wouldn't it be amazing?"

Shinra _was_ already thinking about it, planning out a several layer gate system, a new split-level skywalk, and a central park area with the water system running right through it. He could just see it now.

"Perhaps," replied Shinra, looking longingly out at the sunset, but not seeing the ruins of the city this time.

Tidus took another big bite of his sandwich and they both stood in silence for a moment.

"This is perfect," said a voice behind them. They both whirled around to see Shelinda, two feet away and scribbling on a notepad. "This is exactly what the public needs to hear, a plan for the future."

"Whaa? Nahh," Tidus tried to talk, but his mouth was filled with food again.

Shelinda looked up and smiled at him. "There was enough bad news in today's paper, and there will be more tragic stories tomorrow, but this article will give everyone something to hope for. You truly are a genius, Sir Tidus."

Her gaze swung to Shinra. "Everyone in Spira loves your inventions, and once I accredit them to the Al Bhed kid-genius, they'll make you head contractor." With that, she spun on her heel and walked off.

Tidus finally managed to swallow and called after her, "Shelinda, wait!" but she was already gone.

"Well, that was… unexpected."

"I'm going to be in the newspaper. Hayd! (Neat!) Maybe they'll ask me for an interview."

Tidus nervously scratched the nape of his neck again, not as optimistic as Shinra. He wondered how that news would be received by the public. It wasn't like he had been decreeing that Shinra be the chief engineer for a city so ingrained with Yevon history, he just thought it had been a good idea. Now Shelinda was going to write it up into a news article like he was the main decision maker. He really didn't have that kind of power, and he hadn't been assuming he did.

"And then Shelinda will stop badgering Yuna. Oh, that reminds me Tidus." Shinra's voice pulled him out of his misgivings.

"I noticed Yuna was wearing a new ring. You wouldn't happen to have anything to do with that, would you?"

Tidus managed to smile and nod. Just thinking about Yuna put him at ease.

"Hah, I thought so. And it appears Nooj wins; I believe he was the one who had called before the end of the month."

"Nooj wins?"

"Yes, and I hope he's not as sore a winner as Gippal was a sore loser. He only gave you two weeks, and was annoyingly disappointed when you let him down. I had to listen to him whine about his lost gill for days."

Tidus was only mildly shocked that his personal life had become a betting game amongst his new friends. It was pretty funny when he thought about it, but then again, it was a great leverage he could hold over their heads someday as payback.

"Shinra, if you would excuse me, I need to find Yuna."

"You're not going to tell her about the gambling, are you?"

Tidus chuckled. "Trust me, that's the last thing she needs to hear from _me_." Yuna would be scandalized to know she had become a betting chip, but he still needed to warn her about Shelinda.

Tidus began walking away, then stopped and called over his shoulder, "I'll see you tomorrow morning in the Celsius engine room."

"Right, I'll bring my tools," Shinra called back.

_Tools? What tools?_ He wondered as he lopped back across the camp. He was halfway there when, from a distance, he saw Commander Zimmus speaking with Yuna and walking southward. When Yuna saw him approaching, she motioned him forward.

"What's up?" he asked when he was close enough.

"Did Rikku tell you about Gippal and his workers?" Tidus nodded.

"One of the workers from the Chamber has woken up," explained Yuna. "The… last surviving worker," she said more quietly. She must've just heard that the other worker had recently died.

Tidus looked to Zimmus for more clarification. "The boy can tell us what happened, how they all ended up in the Chamber. But since Gippal still hasn't awoken, I wanted to consult Lady Yuna if it was wise to allow the Princess to hear him speak. In case Gippal doesn't …" Zimmus trailed off.

"How _is_ Gippal doing?" Tidus asked tentatively. It was one thing to tell Shinra everything would be fine, but Zimmus was a warrior who knew not to bet on hope. He wouldn't gloss over any answer.

"He's pumped full of potions and nutrients, but there really hasn't been any change over the last few hours. There's still no certainty over the depths of the damage," Zimmus replied. "Although our boy, named Leto, seemed to be just as bad off, but he's come around, so there's hope for Gippal and the young Yevonite."

"Yevonite?"

"He was strangely in the Chamber with the others. Wouldn't a Yevonite see entrance to the Chamber as sacrilege?" Zimmus asked Yuna.

"It depends on how much regard he still holds for Yu Yevon, but yes that would be true. Perhaps your Leto can shed some light on the mystery."

"And the princess? Should Rikku be told?"

Yuna ground her bottom lip in thought. She was worried over Rikku's mentality. It wasn't like it was Gippal who was awake, just his friend who might have heard his last words spoken in this world. If she informed Rikku, would she just be raising the girl's hopes for nothing? And if she didn't, would Rikku resent her for not telling?

"Um, maybe someone should mention it to her. And… we'll let her decide if she wants to hear what Leto has to say."

Zimmus nodded in consent. "And if you're interested in his story, then you're welcome to stop by. That ornery doctor finally left to get some sleep." Zimmus winked at her and then took his leave.

"Ornery doctor?" Tidus questioned.

"Don't ask," was her reply.

"Do you want to meet this Leto?" he asked her.

Yuna nodded. "And maybe Rikku will soon decide if she wants to hear his side, too."

"Oh, I almost forgot. There's someone I want to find. Someone in one of the hospital tents." Yuna raised her eyebrow in question as they started walking again toward the south side of the camp.

"A boy. A kid named Harkly." Tidus sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "I-uh, sorta rescued him from a closet today. He had been in there for a whole day, and…well, his kitten had died."

A look of awe filled Yuna's eyes. "You saved a little boy this afternoon?" Her hand slipped into his. "And then you brought an uncle to the rescue of two little orphan boys." Her eyes sparkled up at him. "Any other children you filled with hope and joy today that I should know about?"

She meant it teasingly, but suddenly Tidus was reminded of what he said to Shinra. "Well, actually…"

Yuna raised both of her eyebrows. She hadn't expected an answer.

"And… I should probably tell you this anyway before you see it all over the front page tomorrow." Her eyebrows went further up.

"I just saw Shinra."

"Oh yes, he was looking for you. Did he give you whatever he had?"

"Yeah, and it's a powerful dress sphere. But I can't try it on until battle." It was only half true, but he didn't want to explain to Yuna about any self-destruct gadgets.

"Anyway, Shinra was really bummed about Gippal, and about the city carnage spread out before us. It probably wasn't the best location to have a view, but we were hiding from Rikku and places were limited. So we-" Yuna patiently waited for him to get back on topic.

"And then-- I totally just threw this out there-- I suggested Shinra would be the perfect architect for the layout of the new city. He could set it up custom-suited to the machina and make New Bevelle the most innovative city in Spira. Of course, it would only be if he and the rest of the citizens of Bevelle agreed, but it was just an idea."

Yuna nodded; she could see the logic in this, and Shirna would jump at the chance to be in charge of creating something new. "So what is the problem?"

"Well, uh, Shelinda was standing right behind us. And while we were talking, uh, she wrote down everything we said. I think she plans to argue Shinra as the best contractor in Spira, and assure him the job."

Yuna's eyebrows were now so high they almost disappeared into her hairline.

"I tried to stop her, but you've met the girl. She's totally committed to whatever she can dish up on people." Tidus didn't know why he had to defend himself, but Yuna was looking at him as if he were a hopeless cause and always would be.

She pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation.

"Now what's he done?" asked Rikku who had come out of nowhere. She looked at Tidus. "What did you do to annoy Yunie?"

"Nothing! Well, it wasn't my fault. People just tend to take my words the wrong way."

"Sir Auron would tell you that you need to learn to keep your mouth shut."

"Well, that old geezer isn't here to order me around anymore!" '_Unless I'm actually still hearing his words from beyond the grave in my head.'_

"Are you going to hear Leto out, Rikku?" Yuna changed the subject. Rikku simply nodded. They had already arrived at the hospital tent and Rikku pushed the flap aside and led the way in.

She walked briskly pass all the other beds and headed to the back room. Leto was sitting up straight on his bed, most of head still wrapped in white bandages, and he was staring forlornly at an empty bed. Yuna sadly remembered that was where the other seriously injured worker from the Chamber had been.

"Rammu, Leto," Rikku greeted him (hello). Leto looked at her and his face lit up.

"Myto Rikku! Oiu'na rana! Ra cyet oui fuimt lusa, yht oui tet. Zicd mega ra cyet. Yht ra fyc nekrd, palyica ra'c ymfyoc nekrd." (Lady Rikku! You're here! He said you would come, and you did. Just like he said! And he was right, because he's always right.)

"Cmuf tufh!" cried Rikku (Slow down). Even with the little Al Bhed Yuna and Tidus knew, the boy was talking so fast that they couldn't distinguish his words.

"Oui haat du lyms tufh," Rikku told Leto (You need to calm down). The boy stopped and took a deep breath, but he continued to look up at Rikku with angelic reverence in his eyes.

"Oui lysa. Jicd mega ra bnusecat." (You came. Just like he promised) Leto's eyes shut and his head leaned back against the pillow.

"What's he saying, Rikku?" asked Yuna, who could barely understand him.

"I'm not sure. He just keeps repeating 'You're here. He said you would come.' "

"_He_? You think he's talking about Gippal?"

Leto's eyes opened up and he focused on Yuna. "Myto Yuna, oui lysa duu. Gippal cyet dryd duu. Oui fuimt lusa yht veht ic." (Lady Yuna, you came too. Gippal said that too. You would come and find us.)

"He says Gippal knew we would find them," Rikku relayed the message. She sat on the bed beside Leto. Her expression was serious but tender as she regarded Leto.

"Bmayca Leto, lyh oui damm ic ymm dryd rybbahat?" (Please Leto, can you tell us all that happened?)

As Leto spoke, Rikku translated for Yuna and Tidus, stopping every few sentences to allow the boy a drink of water.

"Master Gippal had permission from the Praetor to study the machina in the Cloister of Trials. And he said it was his day off, and he wanted to see the Cloister of Trials before we had to leave Bevelle.

"We all wanted to see the ancient machina. We had all heard of Vegnagun's power and wanted to see if there was something else as powerful beneath the temple. It seems like ages ago when he invited all of us along.

"When the explosions started going off…. everyone panicked.

"We thought we had set off one of the traps. The floor was shaking, and the walls were crumbling. I thought we were going to be buried alive. A lot of them ran back up the stairs, screaming as the ceiling started to fall.

"But Master Gippal grabbed some of us, and pushed us in the direction of the Chamber of the Fayth. He tried to call to the others escaping up the stairs to come back, but the rumbling was too loud for them to hear. He pulled us by the arms toward the Chamber, telling us that it was our best hope, but most of the others still didn't listen and tried to run back to the main floor.

"Cer and I listened. We trusted Master Gippal, and we ran to the Chamber. Master Gippal's smart. He always knows what to do, and that's why he always survives. That's why we listened.

"And as we were running, I saw _him_." Leto raised one shaky finger and pointed it at the Yevonite sleeping in the next bed, the one who had been pulled out of the Chamber with the rest of them.

"He was looking around the Trials too, sightseeing, he said. And he was running for the entrance to the Trials like everyone else. I grabbed his sleeve and pulled him along with us. With most of the ceiling was coming down, it was evident he wouldn't make it to the stairs before it all collapsed. He fought me, and yelled, but I wasn't going to let him go to die. I yanked him along to the Chamber, until Gippal came running after us with Tekin. He told us all to get in. But Amphion kept yelling and resisting to enter the room. Gippal just grabbed him by the collar and yelled right back at him.

"He was just able to pull Amphion inside when everything caved in." Leto shuddered with the memory and it was a moment before he could continue.

"When I awoke, we were trapped, buried beneath the crumbled statues and walls. And the water from the Fayth was everywhere. It was pitch black; I couldn't even see what was pinning me down. Tekin was already dead."

Leto's eyes closed again and a tear rolled down from behind his eyelid. "Gippal kept calling to us in the dark, telling us all to hold on, that help would be coming. He could talk to Amphion, and the blasted Yevonite wouldn't stop screaming for the longest time. He and Gippal fought about something, but we didn't understand.

"Then Amphion stopped yelling, but we could still hear him crying."

Leto opened his eyes again and turned toward the Yevonite again, Amphion. "He started talking again eventually, when it was Argene's turn to cry. Argene said he was stuck under a metal bar or something, and it was very painful. Gippal told him to hold on, so did I, and so did the others, but I guess it was too much, though he survived until the very end."

Leto's gaze roamed back to the recently empty bed on his side. "Cer kept saying he had to survive for his sister, Daline. He told us all about her. I've never heard him talk so much before."

Leto's eyes shut again and he cringed with memory. "It was so dark, and we couldn't move. If I took too deep of a breath, a beam pressed into my side, and it hurt so much. None of us could do anything while we waited. And it hurt so much. The pain, the waiting, the thoughts,..."

Tears were rolling down Yuna's face by now, as she listened to the boy's story, of hearing his friends die, and waiting forever in a black hole they thought to be their grave.

Leto reached out and took Rikku's hand, looking her right in the eye. "Gippal gabd dymgehk ypuid oui dufynt dra aht."

Rikku didn't translate for her friends, Leto's determined gaze held her spellbound. "Ra ghaf oui fuimt lusa, ghaf oui fuimt veht ic. Yht Gippal fuimth'd keja ib uh dryd ruba."

Rikku's eyes started tearing up, and Leto noticed how affected see was by this news in the way she didn't translate. Before he could be blamed with making the Al Bhed princess cry, the lady he had been hearing about for the last two days, he finished his story.

"Vencd Argene cdubbat yhcfanehk uin lymmc, drah Amphion fuimth'd yhfan Gippal. Cer ceit ra fyc denat yht haatat du cmaab, pid drah E luimth'd fyga res. Frah E yfuga ykyeh, Gippal fuimth'd yhcfan sa, yht E fyc ymuha. Ihdem E raynt dra tnekkanc yht oammat du dras. E teth'd kad du caa dra cih oad, pid E ys rana."

(First Argene stopped answering our calls, then Amphion wouldn't answer Gippal. Cer said he was tired and needed to sleep, but then I couldn't wake him. When I awoke again, Gippal wouldn't answer me, and I was alone. Until I heard the diggers and yelled to them. I didn't get to see the sun yet, but I am here.)

"Rikku?" prompted Yuna.

Silent tears were rolling down Rikku's cheeks. At the sound of her name, she started, as if awakening from the dream Leto's story had cast. She briskly wiped her tears.

"He says the others slipped off one by one until he was alone. Then he heard the diggers and called to them. And they were rescued."

So saying, she thanked Leto, then said a few more things to him in Al Bhed. "Come on, we should let him rest," she said, and made a quick escape to the tent's door, eager to get out of that sad place.

Yuna and Tidus said "dryhg oui" and "kuut-poa" to Leto, who was already half asleep, and followed Rikku out.

It was clear that Yuna was shaken by Leto's story. It was unimaginable how Rikku must feel at that moment. Tidus took Yuna's hand and led her to the secluded area between two tents before he turned and pulled her into his arms.

It was exactly the response she wanted.

"Oh, Tidus, it's just so horrible, and so sad. Having to wait around to die-"

"It's very terrible, baby." He hushed her and stroked her hair while she took comfort in his arms, mourning all those who had been lost that day, and feeling Leto's despair all over again.

She couldn't imagine anything worse than knowing you were going to die, but having no idea when it was going to happen. The waiting would drive a person crazy. Even with the will to survive, it was easy to understand how someone would welcome death if it meant finally letting go of that suspense.

With a shocking comprehension, she realized that must have been exactly the way Tidus had felt when he found out he was a dream. Two years ago, when he knew he would disappear once they defeated Yu Yevon, he had been waiting that entire time to "die." No wonder he was in such a hurry to jump off the airship when the time came. Even if he didn't want to go, prolonging the inevitable was the most painful of all. If it had to happen, just get it over with already. By the end, he had run for that ledge.

She now tried to embrace him in comfort, wondering if he was thinking about that time too. She wanted him to know that she finally understood. And she silently forgave him for leaving.

"Will you be okay, Yuna?" he asked her softly. She wanted to talk to him about it, but she knew now wasn't the time. He had let the past go, and it didn't even matter anymore. He was here with her now, and they could only go forward.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said, and stood up on tip-toe to kiss his lips. They shared a gentle kiss, one that spoke of tenderness and perseverance. After listening to Leto describing what he had endured, they could hardly do any less.

Tidus rested his forehead against hers, holding her face between his hands. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," she replied. They shared another gentle kiss that went on for a long time.

When they emerged from their hiding place a few minutes later, they found Cid, Baralai, and Zimmus speaking.

"Well, it was obviously serious enough to have them concerned about it," Zimmus was saying.

"But it's only a clump o' trees, not much danger from trees," Cid said.

"Lady Yuna, Sir Tidus," Baralai acknowledged and the other two turned to them.

"Is there a problem?" Tidus asked.

"Something about a new forest on the outskirts of the city has a few people scratching their heads," answered Zimmus.

"Trees?"

Baralai folded his arms. "I know Bevelle and the surrounding area pretty well by now, and these reports of a new forest springing up where there clearly was not one before are a troubling mystery. I still say we send a team to check it out."

"Well, if you're really gonna insist, Praetor, I'll send a couple of my men out to investigate. But I'm a-tellin' ya, you're wastin' your time," Cid grumbled.

"Thank you, Cid. I appreciate it."

Cid mumbled something and walked off with Zimmus.

Baralai turned to Yuna and reached for her right hand. He held it up in the moonlight, inspecting her ring. "Well, this will make Nooj happy," he said.

Yuna looked confused, but Tidus realized Baralai had been in on the bet too. He only hoped he didn't elucidate on that remark.

Baralai let go of Yuna's hand. "I offer you both my heartfelt congratulations," he said sincerely and made the sign of Yevon respectfully.

"Thank you, Baralai," said Yuna with an embarrassed smile. "I guess with all the excitement of the day, I forgot to tell all our friends the news."

She looked up at Tidus who shrugged. "I only told Shinra, but he had already seen the ring."

"Oh, well, that explains it," said Yuna. "If Shinra knows, everybody knows."

Baralai chuckled. "Shinra knows what?" asked Paine as she stepped out of the darkness and to Baralai's side.

Tidus sighed. "Well, at least you get to tell her personally. I'll let you take care of this, baby, there's something I want to do."

Tidus brushed a wisp of hair behind her ear, then excused himself and slipped into the night.

"Yuna?" asked Paine. Yuna held her hand forward and Paine bent over to see. "Is that a ring?"

"Yes, it is Paine. Tidus asked me to marry him," Yuna said happily.

"He did!" came a shrill voice out of the darkness. Shelinda appeared and snatched Yuna's hand from under Paine's nose to peer at the ring herself.

"Oh, Lady Yuna! This is wonderful. Congratulations!" she cried and impulsively hugged Yuna.

Then, realizing what she had done, Shelinda quickly released Yuna and backed away sheepishly. "Oh, please forgive me, Lady Yuna, for being so bold," she said shyly.

"Uh, it's fine, Shelinda," Yuna replied, not sure what else to say. Shelinda was a reporter, true, but right now she seemed to be acting more like a friend. Was it safe to discuss anything with her without worrying it would end up on tomorrow's front page?

"Oh, Lady Yuna, do you remember the interview you gave me a few months ago and I asked you why you had joined the Gullwings? And you said it was to find someone?" Yuna nodded.

"It will be such a magnificent conclusion to our subscribers to see that journey ending in a wedding!"

Yuna should've figured, Shelinda was always a reporter first.

"Hey you, didn't I give you enough material to use today?" asked Paine harshly.

"Y-Yes," said Shelinda, "and I already sent my report ahead to my editor, but after the terrible events of today, there has to be some good news. After tomorrow's news, the readers' heavy hearts will need something joyful to cheer them back up."

Yuna was reminded of Zimmus' words this morning. She began to feel guilty again about making her marriage the happy distraction for a mourning Spira.

"Shelinda," Paine said. The girl looked up expectantly. "Beat it!" The poor girl scampered off.

"Don't you think you were a little hard on her?" asked Baralai.

"She needs to learn eavesdropping is not the safest way to get a story," Paine replied.

Paine may have acted a little meanly to Shelinda, but for once, Yuna didn't disagree with her tactics.

"Yuna! Yuna!" Shinra came running at them from out of the night. "You must come at once! We have to find Rikku!"

Another Hospital

"Hey there, little soldier. How are you holding up?"

"Sir Tidus!" Harkly bounced up on the bed and threw his arms around his neck.

"Well, you certainly seem a lot better," said Tidus laughingly.

Harkly pulled back and looked Tidus over very closely. "One of the healers said that you are the High Summoner's boyfriend. Is she right?"

"Uh, yeah" It was amazing how much kids could simply things. While he technically was Yuna's boyfriend, after all they had been through, it seemed like they were so much more than that.

"She also said you are a catch. But you don't look like a fish to me." Harkly studied his face again. "No you're not a fish-man at all. I knew it. But when I tried to tell her that, she said that I must be running a fever."

Tidus couldn't help it, he burst out laughing. He really liked this kid.

"Harkly! You shouldn't be out of bed and bothering people," came a strict voice. Tidus looked up to see a white-robed healer marching their way with an irate expression.

"I'm terribly sorry, sir…S-S-Sir Tidus!" The healer stuttered and halted her steps abruptly.

"Oh, Sir, I-I didn't know. I-I…"

"He's not a fish. See! I told you so!" Harkly said triumphantly, completely unaware of the healer's discomfort.

The healer's eyes fixed back on the boy and resumed some of their sternness.

"Harkly, you shouldn't be bothering people when you need you rest."

"He wasn't bothering me, ma'am," Tidus intervened. "I'm just glad to see he has his energy back."

"A little nap and some food will do wonders for a child's stamina," the healer muttered.

"Harkly, your mother wants to see you again before she falls asleep." The healer regarded Tidus for a moment. "Actually, Sir Tidus, if you wouldn't mind, I think Harkly's mother would like to meet you."

"Yes! Come meet my mama, Sir Tidus," Harkly said happily, wrapping his arms more securely around his neck. Tidus could hardly turn down the invitation.

"Follow me, please." The healer spun on her heel and started walking away. Tidus carried Harkly after her into another part of the hospital that had the beds sectioned off by curtains to give the patients more privacy.

The healer pushed back one curtain and Tidus saw the woman he helped rescue that afternoon lying on a cot. She didn't look much better than the last time he saw her, but at least she had more color in her cheeks.

"Miss, Sir Tidus and Harkly are here to see you," the healer said softly. The woman's eyelids fluttered opened and slowly focused on them.

Tidus set Harkly gently down next to her on the bed. Harkly seemed to know he couldn't bounce or move too quickly next to his mama while she was sick. The boy settled down next to her and nestled into her side. His mama's arm weakly wrapped around the Harkly's shoulders and pulled him closer. Her lips pressed a soft kiss into his hair and murmured a few words.

Then her head slowly turned back to Tidus. For a moment, she simply looked at him, and Tidus had to fight the urge to squirm.

Her other hand rose shakily off the bed and Tidus quickly moved to take it. Her hand was slack, but she held her grip on his fingers.

"I cannot thank you enough, milord, for what you have done for me and my Harkly this day," her voice was weak, but her eyes held all the strength she meant to convey.

"Please, ma'am. I hardly did whatever anyone else would have done." He felt the intensity of her gratitude was misplaced. After all, there were at least twenty others that had been helping him today.

"No. Harkly told me what happened. Not just _anyone_ would have done that." Her conviction humbled him.

"I'm just glad you are both okay," he said for lack of anything else to say. He wished he could think of something truly inspiring, or try to ease the somber atmosphere that made him want to squirm again.

The woman gave him a feeble smile as she settled back into the pillows. Harkly appeared to already be asleep beside her.

"The high summoner certainly is a lucky girl," she said faintly. That made him blush, and she coughed out a puny laugh at his expense.

A few minutes later, Tidus was striding toward the tent entrance, looking back over his shoulder for one last glance of Harkly snuggled against his mama. They were really sweet together, and he really liked that kid a lot.

Back in Zanarkand, he had always had the neighborhood boys to play with. And this afternoon, while playing with the children, he had realized how much he had actually missed hanging out with kids. He always had felt he could relate more to them than the other grown-ups around him, anyway.

An image of Yuna as he had seen her that afternoon, sitting with a child on her lap with a circle of kids at her feet arose in front of his eyes. She seemed to have enjoyed it, and he knew all of the kids in Spira positively adored her. How she would feel doing that full-time?...

Suddenly, a blur of color rushed pass the outside of the tent. It was Rikku, and she was full-out sprinting.

Tidus didn't hesitate to dash after her. There was only one thing in all of Spira that would make her move that fast.

South Hospital

"Tekin. Argene. Cer. The others who ran out. All of them… gone."

There was a moment of absolute silence. "It was all for nothing."

"Sir, if I may?" came a shy little voice. "You saved my life, when I was too stubborn to see reason. I am very grateful."

The only response was a scoff and a few grumbles in Al Bhed.

Amphion shook his head and look over to Leto. "And you, too, sir. Thank you for pulling me along."

Even though they didn't speak the same language, Leto understood what Amphion was saying. Both men nodded to each other. Their political views may still be in conflict, but they had both survived that terrible experience together. There was a mutual understanding between them that would begin a lifelong friendship.

"Ed'c vundihyda oui vehymmo fuga ib." Leto said back to Amphion. (It's fortunate you finally woke up.)

Yuna turned away from Leto and Amphion to the other recently awaken patient. She knew he was sulking. Propped up against his pillows, having insisted that his ribs didn't hurt so much that he couldn't sit up, his somber mood radiated from him in waves of grief. His face was turned away from her, but she knew it was as sour as Lulu's homemade flu medicine.

Heaven knew that right now, he had every right to brood. As painful as all his injuries had to be, coming back to the world of the living to confront the fact that your friends were dead was more emotional pain than she could comprehend.

"There was nothing else you could have done for them," she tried to comfort him. She needed him in a better mood before the arrival of a certain person.

"GIPPAL!!"

Too late.

Rikku was running down the aisle toward them, her braids bouncing and tears flowing freely down her face. Yuna quickly got up and moved around the beds to another aisle, hoping to make an exit before she witnessed her cousin's reunion with the man of her dreams.

"Well, if it isn't Cid's little girl. Come to play Spira's hero all over again?"

Rikku heard him, but she was too ecstatic at seeing him moving and talking again that it took a few seconds before his sarcasm registered. She stopped just one bed down from him with a confused and slightly hurt look on her face.

"And what's this? Tears? Were you crying over me? Aw, I didn't know you cared so much. Does this mean that I can expect no more jokes or insults outta your mouth? Darn, now I have to find someone else to abuse until they fall for me."

Rikku had gone from pure euphoria to utter shock. She stood speechless with a stricken look on her face, only a few feet away from a man who might as well have torn out her entrails so he could watch her slowly bleed.

"Well, I was hoping for fewer arguments, but not complete silence." He just wouldn't stop!

"You-you…" Rikku stuttered feebly, but then, somehow, a bit of her old stubbornness awoke inside her.

Her fierce Al Bhed eyes flashed green fire. "Of course I wasn't crying over you!" She all but screeched at him. "I was crying because I was so disappointed that the bombers missed their target. Looks like they didn't successfully kill you after all."

Now it was Gippal's turn to look stunned. He hadn't expected this explosive of a response from her, especially when he thought it was still their usual and familiar banter.

"How completely awful it is that you survived!" She turned and stormed out of the tent, not even trying to stifle her sobs. Running blindly, she almost ran into Tidus, who had been only two seconds behind her and a few feet away to hear everything. He stepped aside and let her escape.

Yuna glared at Gippal for a moment. "What have you done?!" she yelled before she ran off after Rikku.

There was more silence in the tent. A few of the surrounding patients who had woken up at the shrieking wisely chose to retain the pretense of sleeping.

"Well that was uncalled for." Tidus broke the silence and stepped forward to glower at Gippal, who looked up at him bewildered.

"Fryd… What just happened?" he asked.

"You just ruined any and all chances you ever had with Rikku," Tidus replied bitterly. "Do you have any idea what that girl has been through today? You have any idea what _we've_ been through today?"

Tidus' fierce look told Gippal not to give an answer.

"Rikku hasn't smiled once since she heard you were missing. She thought you were dead. We all did. And then Cid tried to protect her by not telling her you had been found, and she's spent the rest of the day trying to forget how heartsick with worry she was.

"I know your day wasn't exactly peaches and cream either, but you will NOT put it on Rikku. How would you react if you heard she had been killed?"

Gippal buried his face in his one good hand, agitation and concern etched lines into his forehead. "They are all dead! All of them! And it's all my fault!"

First he lost his friends, and now he might have lost Rikku!

"No! You don't get blame yourself for that!" Tidus said gruffly. "You blame yourself for what you did to Rikku just now. Feel all the guilt and remorse in the world, but not for Bevelle's attack."

Tidus was mad alright. Rikku was like his little sister, and he wasn't going to let anyone hurt her, especially not a guilt-ridden Gippal.

Gippal looked up at him with panicky eyes. "I-I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry… I lashed out at her, but… oh, Spira." Gippal moaned and his eyes fell closed as he considered the damage he had done.

"Don't apologize to me," Tidus said more calmly. He took pity on him and rested a reassuring hand on his uninjured shoulder. Now that Gippal understood the magnitude of his actions, it looked like that guilt was all the punishment he needed.

Tidus could even almost understand why he had done it. When your world feels like it's been thrown off kilter, you try to grab onto something you know to be familiar, like him teasing Rikku about their relationship. But it was obvious he had overdone it, not gauged his attack or the appropriateness at all.

Tidus knew Gippal was really a good guy. From the moment they met, both of them had gotten along like long lost brothers. They respected each other and usually could always find something to joke about. In the month he had known him, he had never seen the man so indignant or uncertain as he was right now.

'_Well, he deserves it after what he just did.'_

"Do you think… you could send her back in?" Gippal wouldn't look at him, and his voice was small, so very unlike him. It seemed Rikku had a way of getting to him.

Tidus sighed. "I can try, but it's ultimately up to her."

Gippal looked, if possible, more melancholy than he had been a second before. Tidus squeezed his friend's shoulder until Gippal was forced to meet his eyes.

"You better have a heck of an apology ready when she gets back," he said affably, letting him know that at least _he_ had forgiven him.

Gippal looked startled, and then grateful. He nodded in agreement; his eyes taking on a glow not unlike the one from the volunteers that had watched Tidus carry Harkly this afternoon.

"It's good to have you back," Tidus said with a smile. "Hurry up and get better so you can join the fun in retaliating on these bastards."

Gippal just managed to smile back.

Tidus found Yuna and Rikku behind a machina shuttle.

"It's just the way he is. Frankly, I should've expected less than that," Rikku said coldly. She may wanted have to sound indifferent, but her heartbreak was written all over her face.

"Tidus! Can you believe this?!"

It seemed Yuna, however, was being very vocal about her disappointment with Gippal's character.

"The man suffers a near-death experience, and all he can do is rub Rikku's nose in her concern. It's intolerable! It's indecent! How could anyone be so cruel?"

Tidus had to duck to avoid being hit by her flailing arms. She turned to Rikku, her hands on her hips. "You shouldn't have to put up with this. We won't stand for it! We… We need to teach him a lesson!"

She clapped her hands together ruthlessly. "And I know just how to do it. But we're going to need a pitchfork, a clock radio, and maybe a fire extinguisher."

Rikku's eyes had that lifeless look again and she was looking off into the distance, not even listening to Yuna. Tidus set his hands on Yuna's shoulders and turned her around to give her a pointed look, then he turned to Rikku.

"He would like to talk to you, Rikku."

Rikku snapped out of it. "And why should I listen to anything he has to say?" she demanded harshly, choking on the tears she was trying to hold back.

"Because he's really sorry, and you shouldn't have to loose him twice in one day."

Yuna grabbed Tidus's sleeve. "What are you doing? He doesn't deserve to apologize."

"Yuna, please. It's Rikku's choice." He looked back at the uncertain Rikku.

"He's had a tough day, too, he should be allowed to make some mistakes. Just listen to him. Call it 'Gippal's greeting: take two.' "

Rikku glanced in the direction of the hospital for a moment, then huffed out a breath and walked the other way. She took three steps before she stopped and looked back again, indecision written all over her face.

Finally she spun around and stomped toward the hospital, grumbling as she passed Tidus and Yuna, "At least I could give him a piece of my mind."

Tidus turned at the sound of Yuna's soft whisper, "I'm sorry." Her head was bent in shame. "I should have realized he was hurting, instead of encouraging…" She shook her head, "I'm the one who was despicable and inconsiderate and-"

Suddenly, Yuna found herself being spun around with her feet off the ground.

"I'm tired of listening to apologies," Tidus muttered to her.

She just managed to slide her arms around his shoulders before he attacked her with hungry kisses.

"There has been too much second-guessing and mistakes today. Let's just agree everyone's stressed out and has every excuse to blurt out stupid things."

"But Gippal's your friend. It's inexcusable that I-" There was another silencing kiss.

Finally, Tidus set her down, but he continued to hold her close, their gazes locked together. "We're going to forget whoever was responsible for what today and just accept that everything happened."

She sighed heavily. "Okay," Yuna finally agreed, deciding that was easier than arguing with his simple logic.

But she still couldn't help teasing him. "Forget all today's responsibilities? Why, exactly how much trouble did you get into?"

He rolled his eyes and took her hand, leading her toward the Celsius. "That depends on who you ask," he mumbled. She smiled in amusement.

After a few more steps, Yuna laid her head against his shoulder. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For… being you. For being so forgiving and making me laugh. Especially today."

Tidus let go of her hand and snaked his arm around her waist. "Yuna?"

"Hmm?"

"What were you going to do with a clock radio?"

She was giggling too hard to answer.

(A/N: Imagine this next scene entirely in Al Bhed. It makes sense they would be speaking their own language if they were the only ones around, but it would take too long translate.)

South Hospital 

"What do you want, Gippal?"

Rikku stood at the foot of his bed with her arms crossed, her gaze icy and her jaw firmly set.

This was strictly business: she would hear him out, and then leave. Depending on what he said, she would decide tomorrow whether or not to forgive him, when her head was clear and she wasn't exhausted from the day's emotional and physical strain.

She watched as his single eye looked her over, then veered up to search her face. She was determined not to squirm under his perusal, nor was she going to be the first to break eye contact.

He had a lot of groveling to do. And she wasn't going to go easy on him. Even if she did end up forgiving him, she would still make him pay. No one humiliated or treated her that way, especially in front of her friends, and got away with it.

'_Why isn't he saying anything? He should be throwing himself at my mercy. How can he just sit there looking at me with that adorable face?'_

She had just spent the last few minutes convincing herself this was a good idea, had just gotten her hopes up that Gippal could redeem himself, and now he was letting her down. Again.

She should just leave. That would teach him. Just turn and walk away and never…

Gippal's eye rolled up and he fell back against his pillow.

"Gippal?!" All hatred and distaste for him instantly disappeared to be replaced by heart-stopping alarm. She took two steps forward and reached out her arm to him without another thought.

His hand shot out and grabbed her arm, making her yelp in surprise. The gleam in his eye was fully triumphant as it popped back open.

"W-What?... You-you cheater!" Rikku cried, trying to pull her arm free from his grasp. "Let me go right now, you no-good meanie!" But she couldn't bring herself to pull too forcefully against him for fear of hurting him.

"Do you know your eyes change color whenever I see you?"

Rikku stopped her struggling. His comment was so unexpected, she wasn't sure how to react. There was no way she could have heard him right.

"W-What?"

"They're always bright green when I first see you, but then they become blue-green. At first, I couldn't understand why everyone disagreed with me over their color, but then I saw a few sphere recordings of the Gullwings and I realized they are normally bright green. You only have blue-green eyes when you talk about me. Or when you're talking to me, like right now."

His charming smile was breathtaking, and Rikku cursed her own weakness. She was falling for his smooth-talk as usual, but he appeared so sincere, she couldn't help believing it.

Satisfied he had captivated her attention, Gippal loosened his grip on her arm. At least her expression didn't threaten she would run away from him in any instant. He needed her to hear all he had to say.

Taking advantage of her daze, he turned away for a moment to collect his thoughts. This was going to be harder than he thought, but he had to try to explain his behavior to Rikku. She was at least worth the attempt.

"I was going to die in there, you know."

The words broke her out of her stupor. He said them plainly enough, but there was so much pain and grief behind them that Rikku felt her heart breaking in two all over again, only this time, it was _for_ him.

"It was the only possible option. We were trapped, we were hurt, and no one knew where we were. Even though we tried to keep each other going, it was painfully obvious we were going to die, one by one, and we were powerless to stop it."

Rikku was reminded of Leto's version of the story, how Gippal had seemed so invincible, but in truth, he had been as terrified as the others. Gippal was still clutching Rikku's arm, but she was no longer fighting against him. Instead, she put her free hand on his shoulder.

Gippal turned back to her, his cocky grin back in place.

"Then I noticed all the regrets passing through my mind were centered around a certain bratty Al Bhed princess. I realized that I had some unfinished business with that girl, and giving up wasn't an option."

"I'm going to ignore that last adjective," Rikku said coyly.

Gippal risked letting go of her arm to reach up and stroke her cheek. His tender expression held her spellbound.

"_You_ saved my life in there," he whispered, "I only survived to see you again."

Rikku curled around his palm, enjoying his touch and finally basking in the joy and relief of his return. A soft sigh of contentment escaped her mouth and her eyes fell closed.

"Rikku? I'm so sorry for what I said to you before. I thought to start up our usual teasing, like we always have before. I didn't mean-"

"Shut up, you moron," Rikku interrupted sweetly, not even bothering to open her eyes. "You're ruining the moment."

Gippal's hand moved slowly along her cheek, stroking her soft skin, and behind her head, his fingers tangling in her braids. He waited until her eyes opened lazily, now the color of a deep blue-green sea, before pulling her closer.

She didn't need any more encouragement. Rikku leaned in and met his lips halfway. It wasn't so much a kiss as more a brushing of lips, but their mouths quickly became more demanding and desperate, needing the confirmation that they were both alive and together again.

But still Rikku maintained the presence of mind to be cautious of his injuries. That is why she instantly withdrew when she heard his small gasp of pain.

"What? Where does it hurt?" she asked him.

"It's nothing. Get back here," Gippal demanded, determined to continue what they had started despite the pain shooting up his arm. He reached for her, but she danced out of his reach.

"No, not just yet," Rikku said with a cheeky smirk. "I still need to decide your punishment, and I can't have you distracting me."

"My punishment?"

"Well, of course. You didn't expect you were going to get off that easily, did you?"

He was suddenly very uncomfortable with all the terrifying images of what Rikku might do for revenge.

Her arms lifted in a feigned hopeless gesture. "I think the only thing to do would be to make you my slave. For the next two months at least."

At that, Gippal smiled suggestively. "Your own personal slave?"

"Yes, I think that would be best. For instance, if I demand a full-course dinner, you will jump to my bidding, bringing me all that I crave. If I decide Brother is being too annoying for his own good, _you_ will be the one to waste energy yelling at him. Anything I say or ask, you will be the one that provides."

It would also be a way for Rikku to demand he remain in bed for the next few weeks to recover, a battle she would have otherwise certainly lost, but she wasn't going to mention that particular advantage to him just yet.

Gippal, however, was deciding this penalty did not seem as appealing as it had a moment before, especially at the prospect of doing Rikku's dirty work. But he quickly saw a way around her silly request. "I would like to say it would be a pleasure to serve you, princess, but I'm going to be restricted from most activities for a while," he replied, indicating his multiple bandages.

"Oh don't worry, everything I ask from you will be within your range of abilities." The menacing tone in her voice sent him into another uneasy state of anxiety, the result of which was a comical apprehensive expression on his battered face.

It was that uncomfortable look that, at last, made Rikku's face split in two with a huge smile. It was like the return of sunshine. Her eyes sparkled again and the old Rikku bloomed from the gray cloud that had obscured her brightness for too long.

"Now for your very first order, slave," Rikku continued, thoroughly enjoying her new position of power. She stepped forward and leaned over him. "Kiss me goodnight."

Gippal happily obliged. This is what he would rather be doing, instead of discussing terms of punishments or the needs for said punishments. And if her "orders" were going to be as wonderful as these kisses, he would gladly submit to being her slave, granted that she never called him that in public with this lovely order.

He had to break off the kiss when he noticed she was making herself comfortable next to him on his cot. "Cid's girl, what are you doing?" he asked, shocked.

She pressed a finger against his lips. "Second order: you will never call me 'Cid's girl' ever again, slave."

"If ever I needed a reminder of whose daughter you are, it would be now," he muttered.

"You are weighted down by plaster and straps. I trust you not to try anything tonight," she giggled while pulling the blanket up over both of them.

Gippal used his good arm to pull her closer to his side. Rikku snuggled into the crook of his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. Despite it being the wrong place, and the wrong circumstances, both had to admit that she felt right there.

"Cid's going to kill me in the morning," Gippal whispered before pressing a kiss into her golden hair.

She looked up at him with sleepy but happy eyes, her resurrected smile glittering on her face. "I demand that you stop worrying about Pops and go to sleep."

She leaned up to press one more kiss to his lips.

"It's time this dreadful day was finally over."

"Well… not all of it was _that_ bad."

"I thought I told you to stop talking."

* * *

**Okay, now for my apology. I will sum up this chapter's late post in one word: Life.**

**It was second semester of college and even with spring break, I wasn't able to get back into this at all. Maybe summer will give me more time, but with work and practice, I don't know how long it will take me to get back to this.**

**Those reviews really help though. When I see more people interested, it makes me want to write, so keep them coming. And thank you to everyone who takes the time to write them.**

**Happy Father's Day y'all!**


	4. Chapter 4 The Besieging Forest

**Horray! I was able to finish this chapter before the month was up! So it was a quick update this time, but I can't guarentee when the next will be. I have a lot of people asking me for the next chapter of my Narnia fanfic, so I might have to take a break from this and write that one for a while. Awww, and just when this one was starting to get interesting.**

**Okay, I'll admit that I REALLY hate the first part of this chapter, I couldn't make it interesting no matter how much I tried. (I should invest in an editor.) But then I finally got into my first fight scene! SQUEAL! And everyone kicks butt! sweet! Can't wait for more scenes like that one. **

**Then it got really slow again at the end. Oh well, more action shows up later on.**

**Oh, here's some cool trivia I found on the web. Sorry if some of you dedicated fans already know this, you get to read it again. **

**Or you can just skip to the story and ignore the rest of the intro, whatever you want.**

**When the creators of the tenth game were designing characters, they were trying to go for a male lead that would have a much more sunny and cheery personality than the despairing and gloomy Squall and Cloud from the previous games. In fact, 'Tidus' came from the word 'Tidah', which means _sun_. And 'Yuna' actually means _moon_. When you play the game, Tidus gets the sun accessories, and Yuna gets the moon accessories. Like the moon amulet.**

**Then all the major love and drama scenes in the games include a lot of images of the sun or moon, lots of sunsets. And I only recently realized how much Tidus comments on how pretty the sunsets always are, drawing attention to them, or when he always seems to be looking at the sun. Then there's all these people who have responded to his bubbly dispositon as cover for a secret homosexual persona. **

**Oh come on, people! A guy can't enjoy a sunset without being gay? I'm sorry he's not all emo and depressed like your precious Squall and Cloud, who never even made a move on their girls, may I remind you (well, Squall did at the end, but he fought Riona the whole way) I think the whole reason why FFX was my favorite is because of optimistic Tidus. I happen to like my guys funny, playful and unafraid to smile more than once a decade! **

**Now I'm probably preaching to the choir because you wouldn't have read this far unless you liked this couple. But this is something that has really been on my mind for a long time. I'm not saying I don't like Squall and Cloud, but there is no way you're going to call Tidus a homo when miserable Cloud was too gay for the lovely Aierth. And that guy missed out on his chance.**

**Oh, yikes! Sorry, guys, didn't mean to go off on a rant there. Getting off my soapbox now, I swear! Oh yes, the story, that's why you're here. Here it is, shutting up...**

**Don't own FFX!**

**VERY LONG!!**

* * *

"Anyting elsh, Mish Yoona?"

"No thanks, Barkeep. I think we're set. Thank you for the breakfast."

"Enjoy." He disappeared into the back room.

Tidus tossed the newspaper he was reading onto the table and helped himself to more food. His silence made Yuna curiously pick up the paper.

The date at the top was yesterday's, and the giant headline screamed "Bevelle Attacked!" The following article described all the little vague information they had known two days ago, but flipping through the pages, Yuna saw most of the paper contained pictures of demolished buildings.

"Pretty depressing," Tidus commented coldly. "But I doubt we're going to like today's issue any better."

"Well, that's a matter of perception," said Paine, striding into the room and dropping a fresh, crisp, folded newspaper in the center of the table as if she couldn't stand to hold it anymore. She sat down and reached for a cup of coffee, casting a disgusted look at the paper she had just dropped.

"Now if you are an average non-Bevelle citizen who had been petrified by what you had read the day before, this paper will offer you enough reassurance and hope to believe there had never been any real threat to begin with. But if you were a High Summoner or her guardian, well then, I could understand how you would feel your privacy had been invaded."

Yuna saw the headline and felt like she couldn't even reach for the paper. It read "**The Light of Spira Brightens Omious Future**" and beneath the headline was a large picture of her smiling downs at two little girls in her lap. The caption beneath said, " '_The High Summoner, Lady Yuna, offers comfort to the young ones who lost their homes' ._"

Who had taken that picture? And when? Who had gotten that close to her without her knowledge?

Tidus moved to the chair next to her. When she made no move to reach for the paper, he picked it up and unfolded it. The bottom half of the front page was completely taken up by the picture of him carrying Harkly from the rubble.

He froze like Yuna at the image he wasn't aware had been taken of him, but Yuna took interest. "Oh Tidus, is this the boy you were telling me about? Look at him. Look at this _picture_; you look so heroic."

"But… it wasn't really like that," he murmured, still stunned. He had had his teammates and Niler helping him, and they had saved so many other people that day. But in this picture, he was more illustrated than some legendary hero of old. Even the sunlight had managed to reflect off some sort of nearby tin sheet and was illuminating his face like a god.

Everyone in Spria was going to see this picture, and they would all think he was some champion. That was a lot to live up to, and he sure didn't feel like a champion.

He could handle being a blitzball champion, it was the life he had been raised in. But not some savior people were going to look to for guidance and leadership.

"You said his name was Harkly," Yuna said, interrupting his thoughts. She was looking up at him with sparkling reverent eyes. "I would like to meet this famous lad."

"You will, Yuna." Tidus turned the page, wanting to change the subject, except the next page was a blow up of Yuna's hand from the previous picture.

Yuna froze again, staring at the image. The engagement ring had managed to catch the light when the picture was taken. She had known Shelinda was going to announce something, but not this soon.

" '_Lady Yuna told reporters yesterday of her engagement to Sir Tidus. No wedding date has yet been announced. The High Summoner didn't mention if the disaster in Bevelle will affect the ceremony's preparations or arrangements,'_ " Tidus read.

He looked at her amused. "Where was I when you announced this? I didn't think you would… well-"

"Shelinda surprised me last night!" she blurted. "I didn't know how to respond; she just… appeared from nowhere."

"Yeah, she has a talent for that," Tidus said, turning the page again and finding, as promised, the article about Shinra elected to be New Bevelle's contractor by the noble Sir Tidus.

"Wow, she laid it down thick," said Yuna, scanning the article. There was a small biography about Shinra and a long list of all the machina he had invented, most of them household entertainment items that almost everyone in Spira now owned. At the bottom was small picture of his helmeted head and a quote:

"_He may be young, but he is the perfect person to rebuild Bevelle more modern and secure while preserving its beauty."_ From Sir Tidus.

"I don't remember saying that," said Tidus as he read it. He sat back in his chair and ran his hands through his hair nervously.

"I thought you gave Shelinda to the refugees to tell their stories," he said to Paine.

"Oh, she did," said Paine sarcastically, taking a seemingly calm sip of her coffee. "But they are all at the end of the paper. Not as significant as stories involving the High Summoner and her guardian."

"Here's an article on you and Baralai," Yuna mentioned. " _'Even at the cost of their own health, Praetor Baralai of New Yevon and Lady Paine dedicated themselves to aiding Bevelle's survivors until the relief teams arrived.' _"

Yuna looked up at her. "You two were the real heroes," she said reverently, "And if this rag can't give the proper credit where it's due, then it is not worth the referral for the weather forecast."

Paine finally seemed to soften at the compliment, her eyes melted from their coldness. After another sip, she changed the subject. "You two missed all the excitement this morning. An Al Bhed civil war broke out at Gippal's bedside. It took three men to drag Cid away before he caused any serious damage."

Tidus burst out laughing while Yuna looked concerned.

Her commsphere chirped just then.

"It's Nooj," she exclaimed, answering it.

"Yuna, I only have a minute. We are on our way to Bevelle this morning, but I need to know if the papers actually got something right for once. Are you and Tidus engaged?"

"Um, yes," she answered, looking over at Tidus, who quickly snatched the sphere from her hand before Nooj could say anything more.

The sphere showed Nooj's triumphant smirk. "I believe congratulations are in order, Nooj. And, beyond that, I can't see anything else you would need to say to us on that subject."

Yuna looked puzzled at Tidus' seemingly rude behavior, but, fortunately, Nooj took Tidus' hint. "Of course, of course. Leblanc and I wish you two kids all the happiness in Spira. We will be there soon to do the honors in person."

'_And to collect his winnings,'_ Tidus thought.

Nooj winked and waved mockingly at him before disconnecting the call.

Tidus tossed the sphere back to Yuna, then stood up and stretched. "I'll catch you later, ladies."

He dropped a quick kiss on Yuna's forehead and then bounded out of the room before he was asked to explain anything.

Yuna stared after him, confused. "What was that all about?"

As Paine had a pretty good inkling to what Tidus was trying to keep from Yuna, she launched into a detailed account of exactly what had happened when Brother had found Rikku cuddled next to Gippal and had enlisted Cid's help.

Celsius Engine Room

"Good morning, Shinra." Tidus jumped over the stair rail and landed next to the Al Bhed kid.

Shinra was standing next to a large crate that seemed to contain any number random items, but he was busy scanning a newspaper.

"Did you see what she said about me? I did not invent the egg timer! Or the electric can opener. This is so embarrassing." Shinra dropped the paper and looked up at Tidus beseechingly.

"I'm never going to live this down. No one will ever take me seriously again!"

Tidus laughed. "It will be a dry season on the Thunder Plains when Shelinda accurately reports the news. But on the bright side, every housewife in Spira will feel they owe their family dinner to you. They'll worship at your feet."

Shinra still looked uncertain.

"Shinra, this is a good thing. If anything, you are finally getting some credit for inventing the garment grids and the commsphere network and your other inventions. Then, once you get your name out there, people will commission new projects."

"And they will be surer of entrusting me with Bevelle's reconstruction."

Tidus wasn't going to respond to that, it was already a touchy subject. In fact, it was a subject that had totally run away from him and taken on a life of its own. He didn't want Shinra to get his hopes up when it was very possible the populace would shoot down his simple suggestion.

"Enough chitchat, let's get down to business." Tidus pulled out the armor sphere and the garment grid Shinra had given him.

"Right," said Shinra, reaching into his pocket and handing Tidus a different garment grid. "This one will increase your defense and strength."

"Awesome," said Tidus, popping the sphere into the new grid.

"Well, here we go!" He activated the sphere and then threw a fist into the air.

Gold and white sparks swirled from his hand and spiraled around and down his body. His clothes melted away into black, blue, and silver material, ending in a flash of white and blue light as the sparks reached his feet and erupted upward.

"W-hoa, check me out!"

Transformation complete, Tidus looked down and inspected his new outfit, unaware of Shinra superstitiously releasing his grip on the fire extinguisher.

Black pants tucked into even blacker, thickset knee-high boots with stainless steel soles. His arms were covered by royal blue sleeves that disappeared into black and silver gauntlets that covered all of his forearm and elbow.

The sleeves attached to a black vest that appeared to be made of some sort of padded metal plates. The vest was comfortable enough, and didn't seem to inhibit his movement, but when he lifted his hand, he was able to rap his knuckles on it as if it were the hull of the Celsius.

The material of the vest was undoubtfully tough, but the edges didn't meet at the front. His torso from his throat to his navel was bare with the exception of two silver chains that loosely held the vest together. His silver Zanarkand Abes necklace still hung from his neck, matching the several silver chains looped on his waist.

Finally, draping from every limb, were guns and knives. Two long, deadly-looking automatics rode low on his hips in holsters, attached by a silver belt. Two smaller guns were strapped around each thigh, and yet two more pistols were inside the vest, firmly pressed against his ribs.

Strapped next to the long guns on his hips were equally long daggers in sheaths. One knife was strapped to his left bicep, and three small ones were hidden in a small compartment in the gauntlet of his right hand. They easily slipped into his palm and he knew they would be quick and lethal when used.

He was armed to the teeth!

"The quality of this metal is superb," said Shinra as he examined one of the knives that had been strapped to his hip. "The blade goes the entire length of the hilt, it will not be easy to shatter."

"Hey, I found three more," said Tidus, pulling one dagger from his left boot and two from the right boot. "I guess the suit was made for a right-handed person."

Shinra gave back the knife and walked around behind Tidus, examining the vest. "This is unlike any material I've ever seen before. I wonder…"

Shinra walked back to the crate. "Take the vest off for a moment," he called back over his shoulder.

"Huh?"

When Shinra turned around, he was holding a laser pistol. "Well, I'm not going to shoot it while you're still in it."

Tidus quickly removed the vest when he realized he was serious. Shinra took it and propped it up against the hull, then aimed the pistol and fired point-blank before Tidus could object.

"Hey, don't go blowing holes in my new stuff," he said.

Shinra had stooped to examine the damage. "It wouldn't matter if you tore it to shreds, or if you lost all the weapons in it, all would appear as good as new the next time you activated the sphere. That's the way the dress spheres resist wear and tear. But you don't need to worry about that with this one. Look."

Shinra held up the vest. "There's not even a hole. I've heard of this material, the ancients called it Kevlar: five times stronger than steel and completely bullet and fire proof. And this rubber lining looks like it's thunder proof too. No bullet is going to get through, although it may cause some painful bruising."

Shinra pulled a knife from his belt and stabbed the vest. It didn't exactly sink in, but the blade obviously got through the Kevlar.

"Well, it's penetrable to knives," said Shinra simply while Tidus looked on in horror as the kid continued to rip the vest apart.

"Hmm, there are tiny wires crisscrossing the fabric. They appear to have the same configuration as a basic sensory system. This could be interesting."

He handed the shredded vest back to Tidus. "Reactivate the sphere so it's whole again."

Tidus examined the pathetic article of clothing that had seemed so newly fascinating mere moments ago.

'_So much for the new armor,'_ he thought grimly, but when he switched spheres and switched back, it was as shiny and impressive as it had been before.

"Okay, now close your eyes," said Shinra. Tidus raised his eyebrows at him for a moment, but then obeyed, feeling absolutely ridiculous.

A second later, he felt an over powering urge to roll his shoulder out of the place it currently was. He stepped to the left without another thought.

"Why did you move?" asked Shinra.

"Uh, I dunno, I just felt like-" Tidus opened his eyes to find Shinra was pointing the laser pistol directly at the spot his shoulder had been. "Shinra! What the-"

"Close your eyes again."

Tidus did so skeptically, trusting Shinra not to shoot him. He lifted his right foot and moved away before thinking. Then he moved his arm.

"It appears the entire suit can detect from which direction a potential bullet is coming," said Shinra. "It sends a nerve impulse through the body so the host will respond and avoid the threat."

"You mean the armor is directing my movements away from danger?" Tidus didn't know how to feel about that.

He eyed Shinra as the kid pointed the gun at his thigh. There was another overwhelming urge to move it, like seeing someone setting a hot iron on your bare skin and anticipating pain, but he was able to resist the reflex this time.

"I guess I can control the impulse."

"Looks like. Now close your eyes again."

Tidus lazily did, ready to resist again. But when he felt the threatening tingles coming from his face, he knew he couldn't withstand the natural instinct to protect his head.

Only this time, before he had time to duck, something else occurred. A whirling and clicking came from his collar. His eyes popped open as small plates of metal extended and slid across his neck and up over his head, locking into place and covering his blonde hair and ears. The metal plates stopped just before his face and a thick visor slid over his eyes and mouth. (A/N: Think motorcycle helmet.)

"What's this? An automatic helmet?" A pointed blunt edge covered his chin and contained a small speaker and ventilation.

"Hey, now we're twins!" said Shinra excitedly. "I bet yours filters the air too, and magnifies your vision."

As Tidus absorbed that thought, his sight out the visor immediately magnified the image of Shinra's face.

"But how do I get it to-" The visor slid back, leaving the helmet around his head but his face open to the air.

"I think anything you want it to do, you will need to control as if it were a reflex. It has to become so comfortable on you it becomes part of your body, then everything you do is like flexing a muscle."

"So how do get this down?" Tidus focused on the helmet, imagining it going back into the collar, but nothing happened.

"Well, it popped up because you reacted to protecting your head, so just think of it as a muscle to flex again. And don't force it," Shinra advised.

Right, a muscle. He focused on the helmet again, but this time remembering how he had activated it, and then it just happened, like the knowledge to do so had always been there. The helmet broke into little metal plates again and retracted back down his head and into the collar.

"Okay, I'll admit that is pretty cool," said Tidus. "What's next?"

"Close your eyes again," said Shinra.

'_Of course, that's all I'm required to do.'_

Tidus did so, waiting for another tingling warning, but nothing happened. He squinted one eye open and saw Shinra pointing a small knife at his gut.

"You can't sense this?"

"Apparently not."

"Okay, let's try this. Close eyes."

Shinra tried holding a lead pipe above Tidus head as if he were going to clobber him, but Tidus couldn't sense the danger. The same went for the wooden board.

"So it's only machina weapons the suit detects," Shinra concluded when they tested a few other pistols and weapons. "And I think it's safe to say it won't detect magic spells either. It seems to be a piece of machina itself that can perceive other machina, but nothing organic."

"Why doesn't the vest completely close in front?" Tidus asked, looking down at his exposed chest. His heart wasn't even protected from attacks.

"It could be the aesthetics of the armor. Or maybe it's supposed to show how brave you are to walk around with your all major organs vulnerable. You should be capable of deflecting any attack before they ever get that close to be life-threatening, or else you are not worthy of wearing the suit. Or some ancient logic like that."

Tidus decided the ancients didn't sound like they had a lot of logic.

Shinra turned backed to his crate again and started digging for something else. "Now, there's something else I always wanted to try on this armor sphere."

Tidus suddenly had a bad feeling this was going to be a long morning.

Celsius Bridge

Yuna should have known it was too good to be true.

She was standing at the windshield looking down on the gathered group of volunteers and survivors. Another airship had landed next to the Celsius about a half hour ago. It was one of the new sky yachts coming off Gippal's assembly line in Djose. When the cargo doors had opened, out stepped Nooj and Leblanc, followed by Ormi, Logos, and the rest of the Leblanc syndicate carrying boxes of supplies.

People had flocked to help them, approaching the handsome couple and offering their deepest gratitude for their help. Nooj accepted their thanks graciously, but Leblanc was eating up the praise and attention.

Nooj disengaged himself from Leblanc's side and made his way towards the Celsius' ramp way, but Leblanc didn't look like she would be torn away from her admirers anytime soon.

Through the open windows, Yuna could hear the people calling her a saint and having a heart of gold. Leblanc, having no shame, or a sense of modesty, agreed and flaunted her 'generousity'. The look on her face was pure bliss as she absorbed the compliments.

When Shelinda appeared with her news crew, Leblanc expounded incredulously about her exploits the last few days gathering the contributions in Luca. "All those people wanted to help their neighbors, and I had the ingenious idea to be the means for to donate their charities. I was all too happy to provide the transportation."

Then she spent the rest of the interview posing in front of the recorder. Even from a distance, Yuna could see Shelinda getting frustrated with Leblanc antics.

Buddy and Nooj came through the Bridge doors.

"Wait until she gets started on the wedding plans. She can talk for hours about the decorations alone," said Nooj as he saw Yuna at the window watching Leblanc.

Yuna kept her opinions about Leblanc's show-boating to herself. "It's kind of her to help people even while she is so busy with the wedding."

Buddy walked over and looked out the window at Leblanc. "There's no way she thought her only benefit would be the satisfaction of helping others," he muttered.

"Nooj, have you had any success in finding out who attacked Bevelle?" Yuna asked, ignoring Buddy's comment and hoping Nooj hadn't heard.

Nooj shook his head. "I'm hoping a few witnesses here will be able to provide us with some clues. The make of the bomber planes, the look, the color, any little details. Then I hope to run those details by Gippal. Hopefully, he will have some idea as to where the airships came from, and something about their owners."

"Good luck getting close to Gippal. He is on severe lockdown, right now," said Buddy. "Mostly for his own protection at this point."

Buddy shot a look at Yuna. "Make sure Cid never catches YOU and Tidus asleep together. His old heart would probably give out if all the women in his family fell off his pedestal."

Nooj chuckled. "Sounds like we missed something really juicy this morning."

There was something else Yuna needed to ask Nooj about. "Could it merely be a coincidence that the attack took place in the very city that supposingly held the leaders of the three factions, the High Summoner, and her influential guardian?"

"You mean this attack might not have been a random selection of major cities for destruction?" Nooj looked thoughtful for a moment. "It is very possible it could have been an assinnation attempt."

"But then, that means we are all in danger here," exclaimed Yuna. "All five of us are still alive and gathered in Bevelle again. The newspapers have confirmed our location here, so everyone in Spira knows where to find us. Our presence alone is endangering all these people."

"Yuna, calm down," urged Nooj. "These attackers had no regard for these people when we weren't here, they would certainly have none now, so it would make no difference if we were here or scattered."

That wasn't exactly comforting.

"But I highly doubt there is a threat anyway. The city's already destroyed; another bombing would be untactical and a waste of resources. I don't think there is any immediate threat to a pile of broken buildings."

He took a few limping steps forward to look Yuna in the eye so she would feel his conviction. "There is nothing to be afraid of or feel guilty for."

Yuna was feeling minimally reassured when Cid and Commander Zimmus came in.

"Meyvn Nooj, welcome," greeted Zimmus.

Cid's lip was in a tight line, he seemed very preoccupied with whatever he was angry about. It wasn't too hard to guess what.

"Cid, I want to thank you for your quick thinking and rapid response. It was no doubt your expert leadership that spared the lives of many," Nooj tactfully complimented.

His comment startled Cid. "Well, uh, always willin' to help out." His expression changed. "After Home was destroyed, I think every Al Bhed could understand how terrible it was to loose any home."

"The Al Bhed have been more benevolent than the treatment they received for the last several centuries," replied Nooj sincerely.

Cid nodded, accepting this fact, but choosing not to begin a rampage about the unfairness of it all. Instead he said, "There's still a few things to discuss, Meyvn. Now, as to the-"

He was interrupted by loud shouts from the hallway. Rikku ran into the room with Brother on her heels. They were both shouting at each other in Al Bhed.

Rikku leapt over the rail and ran behind Yuna for protection, still calling insults over Yuna's shoulder to Brother.

"Oh, will you two give it a rest!" shouted another voice from behind them. Paine came in the room and jumped in front of Brother.

"You and Buddy were supposed to help set up the new tents, and instead, you woke up all the kids from their mid-day nap when you ran through the nursery. Now, y_ou_ will be the one to entertain them for the rest of the afternoon."

"Ah, hud vyen!" cried Brother. "Ed fyc Rikku-" (not fair! It was Rikku-)

"HUF! KU!" (NOW! GO!)

Brother ran out the door like he was on fire. Buddy managed to edge his way around the room and discreetly followed him.

Rikku jumped up from behind Yuna. "Awesome, Paine!" she cried, punching the air and giggling.

Yuna was distracted by the fact that Rikku was actually smiling again. Whatever Gippal had said to her last night, its mysterious magic seemed to have worked. It had brought Rikku back from the dead.

"Don't think that I'm done with you!" snapped Paine, her hands on her hips. "Zero respect points. You will have to earn them back one at a time."

"Fryd? Hud vyen!" Rikku repeated Brother's words. She might have argued more, but she didn't want to go into the negative numbers. Instead, she collapsed into Shinra's vacant seat and pouted. (What? Not fair!)

"Ah, Paine's legendary temper. Haven't seen that for a while," said Nooj. Cid was staring at Rikku as if he were about to start yelling himself.

"Sounds like you've missed it, Noojie," said Paine.

Nooj winced. "Hey now, only Leblanc is allowed to call me that." Then he added with a devilish smile, "Don't make me take away all of _your_ respect points."

Yuna, Zimmus, and Rikku all laughed at his comment. Paine glared at him. Cid continued to glare at Rikku.

The door opened again and they all turned to see a full-armored warrior leap over the rail. Dramatically, the newcomer slowly arose from his kneeling crouch and surveyed them all. None of them could tell who it was through the helmet's visor.

Yuna felt his gaze come to rest on her. No one had reacted when he entered, not sure if he was friend or foe, but he couldn't be a foe if he had managed to walk around the Celsius without being caught. Still, Yuna's hand strayed to the pistol at her side.

The stranger's visor slid up automatically, revealing Tidus' blue eyes and golden smile.

"So, wha'didda think?" he asked, resting his hands on his hips as the rest of his helmet disappeared into his vest collar.

"Tidus!" screeched Rikku. "I thought you were some assassin come to finish off Yunie and Noojie!"

"Hey, I told you not to call me that!"

"You look… dangerous," Yuna admitted.

'_And unbelievingly sexy!'_ She couldn't tear her eyes away from the abs on his exposed midriff. And the blue in the suit made his eyes stand out even more than they already had.

Tidus waved away her words. "Like you wouldn't believe. Wait till you see what this baby can do. And look at this beauty."

Tidus reached for one of the blades at his waist and pulled out a long dagger, lifting it above his head. No one noticed the door had slid open yet again.

There was the sound of another blade sluicing the air, and a split second later, a small knife was pressed against the underside of Tidus' chin. He froze with the sword still held over his head.

"I don't know how you escaped the Farplane, Shuyin, but I will send you back and make sure you can't return to finish off my Noojie," came Leblanc's menacing voice from behind Tidus' back.

"Leblanc stop!" cried Nooj. "Don't kill him! It's not Shuyin!"

"Then why has he pulled a blade on you?!" she demanded, tightening her grip on her knife.

Tidus let the sword drop from his hand, hoping it would convince Leblanc he had no ill intentions, but not making any other movement. He didn't even dare try to speak, that dagger was pressed so tightly against his throat that it would cut him if he even breathed.

The blade gleamed shiny and cold. At the sight of its sharp point pressed against her Tidus' jugular, everything in Yuna had come to a standstill. No breath, no heartbeat, no words to even scream at Leblanc to stop.

The notion of loosing him again, of seeing the actual threat in front of her eyes, petrified her entire body. She could see his nervous blue eyes right now, his body holding perfectly still, but in less than a second, she could watch his vibrant life be taken away from her again.

At that thought, everything inside started working again full blast. Her heart pounded and her breath came out harshly as she vengefully prepared herself to fight for Tidus' life, to death if she must.

Her hand on her pistol had it out and pointed at Leblanc in an instant.

"Let him go now, Leblanc," she gritted out through clenched teeth, the menace dripping from her every word.

Nooj took a compulsive step toward Yuna, instinctively to protect his fiancée. But he cautiously stayed back as it was her own who was also being threatened.

Leblanc regarded Yuna. Her cold bi-color eyes were dead serious. The safety was already off on her gun.

"Hmm, so this must be the infamous Sir Tidus, then. Nothing else would make the goody-goody High Summoner go all grim guard dog," Leblanc mused.

Yuna didn't respond, neither did she put the safety back on her gun until Leblanc had her knife back in its sheath.

Tidus took a step away and turned around tentatively, rubbing his neck. "So, um, you must be Leblanc. Not exactly the way I expected to meet you."

Leblanc reached out and cupped his chin, turning his head from side to side. "Stop fretting, I didn't even scratch you."

A moment later, her tone had completely changed. "Well, looky, looky, if you ain't a looker!" She cast a glance over at Yuna. "Quite a dream-boy you've caught here, love. Much cuter than Shuyin. I don't know why I couldn't see it before."

Yuna could barely restrain herself. She stepped forward and took Tidus' arm, gently pulling him away from Leblanc's clutches, still eyeing her caustically. "Mine. Don't touch," she snarled.

"Wouldn't dream of it, love. Not when I have my Noojie-Woojie." So saying, she stepped over to him and linked arms with him, completely unfazed by the fact that she had almost made the gravely error of cutting Sir Tidus' throat.

Nooj looked down at her as she pressed against his side and presented him a doll-like face. He shook his head hopelessly at her uncomprehension at the magnitude of the situation. If she had killed Tidus, Yuna would have killed her, and then he would probably have had to kill Yuna.

Tidus went to make a move and Yuna stopped him. "Uh, I was just going to pick up my dagger," he told her.

"Oh,... oh! Of course," she said, letting him go.

Then she glanced down at the pistol in her hand, as if confused as to how it had got there. Had she really just threatened Leblanc, the future wife of the Meyven of the Youth League? That didn't sound like her at all.

"And you say I have a legendary temper," Paine commented, breaking the silence and trying to ease everyone's nerves.

Into this stillness walked Baralai. He stopped inside the door, sensing the hostility in the air and looking around at them all.

"Uh, did I just miss something important?"

"No, nothing important," said Tidus nonchalantly, slipping the dagger into his belt. "Just a few raindrops between friends."

He nodded to Nooj and Leblanc, letting them know Leblanc was forgiven. Yuna looked shaken at what she had done, shocked that she had _that_ much fierceness in her. Tidus put his arm around her waist and tucked her against his side as she settled her nerves.

"But what brings your Yevoness to the Celsius?"

"I came to find Cid." He turned to him. "That team that you sent to investigate those strange trees hasn't reported in yet. Have you heard anything from them?"

"Uh, no," Cid replied. "We sent 'em out in early mornin' and 'spected 'em back 'fore now. But we ain't seen neither hide nor tail of 'em. We figured they'd gone for lunch or got held up, but we still ain't heard nothin'."

Cid looked over at Zimmus, who shook his head to say he hadn't heard anything either.

"That is indeed peculiar. I wonder what could have happened to them," said Baralai pensively.

"We could go look for them," said Rikku, jumping up. "We will investigate the disappearance of the investigators!"

"Sure, why not?" said Paine, sensing that they needed to occupy themselves with something else.

"Yuna?" asked Tidus.

Yuna felt like she needed to get out of that room before something else happened, and she was feeling a little claustrophobic after the adrenaline rush.

"Yes, let's go," she said, leading the way up the stairs and into the hallway. Tidus and Rikku followed her.

As Paine passed by, Baralai reached out and took her hand. "Be careful, out there. And watch out for fiends," he said softly.

If it had been anyone else, Paine would've scoffed at the idea that anyone thought her incapable of defending herself. But this was Baralai who was worried about her safety.

"We'll be back before you know it," she whispered back, then turned to follow the others.

Just before the door slid shut, she heard Nooj say, " 'Before the end of the month,' Baralai. You owe me, so pay up."

Outside the Celsius, Yuna took a moment to close her eyes and take several deep breaths. Tidus' hand slipped into hers and squeezed affectionatly.

"Are you okay?"

She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "I'll be fine as long as I know you are okay." She lifted her hand and inspected his neck herself, assuring herself he truly wasn't hurt.

He gave her his adorable smile, then closed his eyes to relish her gentle touch for the space of a few heartbeats. "You don't have to worry. This new armor makes me invulnerable to almost any attack. It can even tell me when someone is taking aim at me."

"How?"

"I dunno. Shinra said it has something to do with stimulating my nervous system, but it barely matters. I'm bulletproof!"

"But you didn't feel Leblanc's blade."

"Yeah, well, the suit doesn't detect non-machina weapons, but otherwise, nothing can touch me."

'_So cocky, so assured, but still, only human.'_ And she was so scared of loosing him again.

At least the idea of an impenetrable body armor was reassuring.

Paine and Rikku had moved away to give them some privacy, but they were waiting for them just beyond the ramp.

"Ready to go?" asked Rikku.

Yuna nodded, a smile on the edges of her mouth.

"The salvage crews are making routine trips into the city. They said they could drop us off at the edge of the city as soon as we're ready," said Paine.

"We better get a move on, then," said Yuna. She stuck out one hand.

"Y!"

The other two smiled at her.

"R!"

"P!"

Tidus looked at the three of them and shook his head. "Don't try to tell me the Gullwings are disbanded. I doubt you three will ever give that silly cheer."

"Hey, it's not a silly cheer," objected Rikku as they started off for the shuttle port. "I spent a lot of time coming up with it!"

Even she realized how absurd that sounded as soon as she said it. The four of them ended up holding their sides with laughter.

And they were still laughing as they boarded the shuttle, much to the confusion of the driver and operatives.

The Edge of Bevelle

"Just give us a call on the commsphere when you're ready to be picked up," called the shuttle driver, a moment before the shuttle zoomed away.

"You think that could be it?" Rikku asked, pointing toward a tree line about a quarter of a mile away.

"I doubt it's anything else," said Paine, "But I didn't expect a 'few trees' included an expansive forest."

"That wasn't there yesterday," said Tidus as he surveyed the ground in front of him. "My team's shuttle came by here in the late afternoon, but the forest was still so far away that I didn't even notice it. If it has grown that quickly in only a day, it will cover all that's left of Bevelle by the end of the week."

They began walking toward the strange wood. "What do think could be making it grow so fast? And so tall?" asked Rikku aloud. The tops of the trees were almost thirty feet above their heads.

"A MircleGrow factory explosion?" said Paine sarcastically.

"Doesn't anyone else see something peculiar about those trees?" asked Yuna.

"There no leaves," Tidus replied.

And not only that, there were no birds singing, no insects buzzing, no distant call of fiends. The entire area was empty of life.

The silence was almost painfully loud, their footsteps seeming to echo in the deathly stillness. It was eerie, and it put them all on edge.

"I thought for sure we would have run into some fiends before now," said Yuna, interrupting the quiet before it paralyzed her with fear.

They had reached the tree line, but there was barely any room for them to walk between the trees, if that's indeed what they were. They were more like oversized brown and green vines woven around each other. They formed a canopy overhead, blocking out the sky in a roof twenty feet above them. And the roots covered the ground so no grass could be seen. They would have to climb up the twisted roots if they hoped to search the forest for the missing team.

Up this close, the silence seemed to have gotten louder, if that were possible. The strange forest leered over them and gave off a foreboding energy, as if it were a predator awaiting its prey to enter its trap.

"It looks like we're going in," said Paine, still trying to act brave despite the fact that the forest made her anxious. But she refused to be unnerved by a few trees.

"I have a _really_ bad feeling about this," said Rikku in a shaky voice. Her words seemed to be absorbed into the giant trunks, no echo or sound waves reaching beyond their little circle. If anyone tried screaming for help, no one would hear them.

They were dwarfed by the size of the trees with their crawling branches hanging yards above their heads. Tidus superstitiously drew one of his daggers, the sluicing sound being swallowed up in the thick air. They moved forward silently, glancing around in all directions and feeling like someone was watching them.

He could swear there was no wind, but the hanging ropes seemed to be swaying as if pushed by an invisible breeze. As the woods closed in, the light dimmed, and a distant groaning sound could be heard, but even though they kept scanning their surroundings, nothing stirred.

At the snapping of a twig, they all drew their weapons and spun around to face the sound, crouching into a defensive position. They waited, but nothing was there. The trees continued to sleep.

"Oh, this is ridiculous!" said Yuna. "We are being intimidated by some overgrown weeds. There's no reason for us to be so jumpy!"

She looked around at them all. "Come on, we're going to find the crew sleeping in some forest clearing, and then we're going to-"

Tidus shoved her off the giant root she was standing on.

Her arms flailed, but she managed to catch her balance on the ledge of another root below her. Spinning around, she opened her mouth to scold him for pushing her, only to find him hacking his sword into a large vine that had fallen onto the log she had just been standing on.

Not only that, the vine was fighting back!

Suddenly, all the vines around them began to move, surging forward and whipping around.

"The forest is alive!" shrieked Rikku.

Rikku already had out her knives, Paine her sword, and they were slicing the advancing branches. Yuna quickly activated her samurai dressphere, it was obvious her guns would be no help against the plants.

A vine fell from the canopy towards her and she cut into it. The part she cut off fell to the ground and flopped dead like a limp noodle. But the rest of the vine, still connected to the canopy, slowly split in two and began to grow two new branches from the severed limb.

She was staring at the young branches growing thicker and stronger when she heard another slicing sound behind her. She whirled to find Tidus had cut down another branch that had almost gotten her. The branch he caught began to grow _three_ new branches!

"They're regenerative!" he yelled, spinning to cut into another branch that she hadn't even seen encroaching upon them.

Suddenly, Rikku screamed. Yuna turned to see she had been whipped with a vine. Paine quickly leapt over a branch and struck down the offensive vine, but Rikku was already turning green.

_Poison!_

Yuna reached into her pouch and pulled out a Remedy bottle.

_Good enough. _She threw it onto Rikku, who had only gotten back to her feet and cut down another vine. The green tint faded from her complexion.

A grunt behind her made her turn again. Tidus was busy holding off _five_ whipping branches. He moved faster than the vines, seeming to anticipate their attacks, but there were too many of them for him to fight all at once. He also was turning green.

"It's no use!" called Paine as she whipped around and struck a vine before it touched her. "As soon as you cut one down, it is replaced with ten more! There's no way we can win!"

"Escape!" yelled Rikku.

Except when they all looked around, they realized there was nowhere to escape to. The forest had completely closed in on them, and with the shifting branches, there was no telling from which direction they had come from.

"Call for help," Paine recommended. Yuna dodged another branch and grabbed her commsphere, but when she turned it on, all she heard was static. She quickly clicked through all channels, but met with the same result on all of them.

"There's no signal!" she called, quickly pocketing the sphere and swinging at a flying branch.

"Something's not normal about these vines. I can actually sense when they are going to attack like they were some type of gun," panted Tidus. He pulled out a bottle of Antidote and quickly downed it before striking again.

Yuna sliced open another branch, but before it could regrow, she glimpsed wires and sparks in the cross-section. She cut the same vine again and saw something that resembled computer chips in the depths of the branch's innards.

"It's a machine!" she called.

"No! It's a plant! My Watera attack made it strike faster," Rikku shouted back, but her voice was barely auditable. With a start, Yuna realized the forest had expanded and had begun to separate them.

"Regroup!" she called out, hopping up on some branches and springing toward the center of their scattering party.

A shadow passed over her head. Looking up, she saw Tidus flying through the air, striking at branches while airborne, both his daggers flashing quicker than her eyes could follow. The vines were chopped to pieces before they even came within five feet of her.

'_He is protecting me,'_ she realized. Although, Yuna appreciated his concern, she hoped he would also pay attention to his own well-being. Even while she was thinking that, she saw another vine lashing toward him.

"Watch out!" she cried, but he had already rotated in mid-air and severed the branch. His armor had alerted him to the danger before her call.

The increased strength from the suit also gave him the same agility in the air he was used to in the blitzball water dome. Somersaulting, he landed in a crouch about ten feet away from her.

Paine and Rikku appeared from two different directions, slashing at branches chasing after them.

When Rikku saw her cousin, she was so distracted that another vine poisoned her, but she didn't even notice.

"Yunie! Move!" she screamed.

Yuna raised her sword and looked all around her, but nothing was coming at her.

'_Heck, with Tidus dancing circles around me, I doubt I'll ever get to see any action'_

At Rikku's cry, Tidus had turned to her. His eyes widened in alarm at what he saw.

"YUNA!"

She finally looked down and noticed the branches she had been standing on had begun to coil around her legs like a huge snake. Panicking, she tried to use her oversized sword to cut through the thick branches at her feet.

In another instant, Tidus was at her side. His short daggers made quick work of the constricting vines. He swept her up into his arms and leapt almost eight feet into the air, coming down gently on another branch some distance away.

He set her on her feet then grabbed her shoulders, looking her up and down frantically.

"I'm okay," she told him before he could ask. There was another vine coming at them from over his shoulder.

"Look-!" He had turned and hacked into the vine before she could finish.

"You gotta keep moving," he called back to her. "If you stay in one place too long, the branch under you attacks."

"Well, isn't that convenient," said Paine, gulping a High-Potion as Rikku covered her back.

"We need to try something else," Yuna called to them all. "Just cutting them isn't doing any good."

"Well, it's a machina right?" said Rikku. "So, how do you short-out a broken computer?"

"But it's also a plant," Yuna added. "How do you permanently get rid of weeds?"

Rikku and Yuna's eyes met, and realization dawned on them both. As one, they reached for their garment grids, both of them changing into their Black Mage dressspheres simultaneously.

"Charge your spells! We'll cover you," Paine said, slicing a vine that tried made a grab for Rikku. Tidus still hovered near Yuna, not allowing anything to get near her.

Yuna and Rikku bowed their heads, both conjuring up their spells.

Rikku finished first, waving her staff at a cluster of vines. Bolts of electricity hurled from the sky as the Thundraga spell struck their target. The vines sparked then sagged, but instead of dissolving into pyreflies like a fiend, they wilted into a grayish pallor of death.

Then Yuna then threw her spell. She casted Firaga and scorched the vines into the same pale blackness that crumbled into ash when she stepped on it.

"Hah, it worked!" cried Rikku.

"Don't celebrate yet! There still acres to go!" cried Paine.

"Fire and lightening only!" Yuna called, already charging another Firaga.

She was about to cast her spell when she was interrupted by a lash from a vine, causing her to stumble. Tidus had it diced into pieces an instant later.

"Here, take this!" he cried, tossing her an Elixir before leaping over her head, landing on a swinging vine and striking down two more vines coming in from different directions. Then, back-flipping off his perch, he slashed into that one too with the sharp edges of the steal on the bottom of his boots. He came to rest safely on another large vine.

'_It's only the suit that is making him move that fast,'_ Yuna reminded herself while watching him in fascination. _'No man can be that naturally hot!'_

'_Get you head back in the game, girl!'_ she scolded herself. Here they were, fighting for their lives and she was thinking about Tidus' leg muscles.

She finished her spell and aimed for the vines at Tidus' back. They crumbled into dust.

Rikku cast another Thundraga, but then had to pull her legs out from the vines wrapping around her feet and run a few steps away. While she was distracted with escaping, another vine whip hit home, and Rikku fell to her knees, dropping her staff in front of her. The colors swirled in front of her face just before her eyes rolled up into her head.

"Rikku's down!" came Tidus' voice from somewhere overhead.

"Only fainted," Paine remarked, already pulling out a Phoenix Down. She promptly threw it over Rikku's body then turned back to dodge another blow.

Moments later, Rikku was climbing to her feet, shaking off the few vines attempting to swarm her, and looking around for her next opponent.

She was struck with a sudden idea. Pulling out a Lightening gem, she threw it at her feet. Sparks flew everywhere like a light grenade, then caught on surrounding vines and burned them away to dust, creating a large hole.

"Rikku! What are you doing?" yelled Paine, who had to jump out of the way of the burning vines. Tidus had already grabbed Yuna and moved her out of harm's way.

"Providing us with a battle field," Rikku shouted back, pulling out another precious Lightening gem and dropping it too. This one managed to dig all the way down through the vines, leaving a hole ten feet deep and twenty feet wide, with the solid dirt ground as the base.

Rikku jumped into her hole and looked up at her friends. "Now we don't have to worry about the ground attacking us from beneath," she called, bowing her head and conjuring another spell.

"Good thinking," said Tidus, landing beside Rikku with Yuna in his arms. Paine leapt down too, then she and Tidus took defensive positions around the two mages as they gathered their magic for an attack.

It didn't take long for the branches to begin crawling toward them again, but at least now they had to cover the barren ground and were easier to pick off before getting too close.

"It's working! We've won!" Rikku cried sometime later when the attacks became less frequent. The blue sky was visible again through a small opening in the canopy. All around them was the grayish decay of the branches, powdered with a large layer of black dusty mist. Every now and then, a green vine would sneak out of the ash, but it wouldn't even take a level three attack to subdue it.

"I don't think so," panted Tidus, his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He gratefully accepted the X Potion from Yuna, who was drinking her own bottle of Elixer.

"We've gotten them all in this area, but you saw the length of this forest. If we start walking through this dusty mess, we're bound to run into more of these psycho cyber-weeds before we get out of here."

"I guess it's safe to say we're never going to find the first team," remarked Paine glumly. "And unless we get a move on, no one's going to hear from us ever again either."

In a swirl of sparks and feathers, Yuna transformed to her White Mage dressphere. "I'll cure our injuries and the poisoning before we go looking for trouble again."

"Yuna, no," Tidus objected, laying his hand on her staff.

"Why not?"

"We'll use our items. We need your magic and Rikku's to defeat the psycho-plants. It's the only thing effective against them and we must conserve it as long as possible."

Yuna saw he was right. She deactivated her dressphere and pulled out more item bottles.

"You mean we have to drink these gross potions," complained Rikku, lifting another bottle in her hand and grimacing at it.

"And we need to use them sparingly," added Paine. "We only have so many, and they may need to last us a while. So no drinking the Ether if you don't need it."

Rikku stopped with the bottle halfway to her mouth. "But these are the chocolate strawberry flavored ones! Can't I have a teeny taste?"

"No!"

"Meanie." Rikku put the bottle back in her pouch.

"Come on, girls. There's still some mutant-tree butt-kicking to do," Tidus said, jumping to his feet.

"Well, good thing butt-kicking is our specialty," Yuna said with a smile. "Lead the way, fearless leader."

He smiled back at her and started off though the ashy remains of the vanquished vines. They hadn't gone far when a few branches leered up at them from the dust like striking cobras. Tidus and Paine chopped through them effortlessly.

"We should save the magic until we really need it."

It wasn't long before they came upon another wall of wriggling vines. As if sensing their presence, the vines jilted forward to strike.

Yuna threw a Thundraga, clearing a hole for them to enter the forest again. Rikku and Yuna resumed their spell attacks, and Paine and Tidus continued to circle them, warding off assaults while they conjured their magic.

When the section they stood in ceased to fight, they walked over the sooty ground until they found another fight. The vines still managed to hit them every now and then, and it became a criss-cross tossing game of 'catch the item' while they continued to fight.

"Ether!" Yuna called as she prepared another Thundraga. Rikku tossed one to her.

"I need a Potion over her-" Paine's voice was cut off as she crumpled to the ground unconscious. Without missing a step in his current attack, Tidus threw a Mega Phoenix Down on her.

Paine stood again. "How many of those we have left?"

"Not as much as I would like," he replied as he whirled in a circle attack, taking out three psycho-branches at once.

Yuna threw her Thundraga into another section of the plants and turned them to dust. When the air cleared, she couldn't believe her eyes.

The green fields of Bevelle's outer limits. The blue sky, poofy white clouds. The sun.

They had finally made it out of the forest!

"Way to go, Yunie!" cried Rikku, running into the sunshine and taking a breath of the crisp, cool air.

"I feel like I just escaped a strangling from a stuffy blanket."

The others joined her, moving out of range of the woods' branches, and collapsing onto the soft yielding grass in relief.

"We made it," sighed Paine, taking another Potion for herself. "Now let's get out of here and bring back some help to exterminate this weed patch."

Yuna tried the commsphere again. "There's still no signal."

"It must be the trees," said Paine, casting a disgusted look back over her shoulder at the forest they had managed to escape. "Their electricity must be interfering with the spheres' frequency."

"Then how are we supposed to get out of here?" asked Rikku. She was still poisoned from an attack, but had been hoping she wouldn't need to choke down another Antidote.

"It's too far to walk back."

"Uh, does anyone even know where we are?" asked Tidus.

They all looked around, and realized that nothing looked familiar. It was just a wide expanse of field filled with broken buildings. Without any recognizable landmarks, there was no sense of direction. If they chose to walk, they would be travelling blind.

"We'll have to pick a direction at random and just go," said Yuna dejectedly. She was exhausted after casting spells for a few hours, a long walk through crumbling debris didn't exactly sound delightful at the moment.

"No," Tidus said softly. "We can't go."

The girls all turned to him incredulously. He was looking back at the machine-woods with a resolved look on his face.

"The vines are already closing up the small hole Yuna made. If we leave now, all that work over the last few hours will have been for nothing. The plants will just grow back, and they will grow outward."

He paused and looked around at them all.

"We can't call for help, so it has to be us. We can't let this… _thing_ reach the refugee camp. The citizens will be powerless against it. We need to take it all out at once, or it will all grow back until it becomes impossible to destroy.

"It _can't_ reach the camp."

"Tidus, I understand what you're saying, but look at the size of this thing," Paine indicated. "We don't have enough magic or items with us to take it all down alone."

"Then go find help, Paine," Tidus replied logically. "Bring back as many Al Bhed flamethrowers and fighters as you can, but I'm not leaving this monster to regain its invasion advantage."

He drew his swords.

"You can't spend all your energy just hacking at them," said Rikku. "It won't do any permanent damage."

"But it will keep them back, even for a little while. It will buy you all time to find help."

"As if I was going to leave," exclaimed Yuna. She chugged an Elixer and stepped up next to his side.

"If you're going back in there, so am I. There's no way I'm going to go off and get myself lost in some ruins when I could be here helping you protect Harkly."

She smiled up at his startled expression. "It's not that hard to guess which powerless refugees you're referring to."

"Then, I'm staying too," said Rikku, lifting her staff. "You're right; we need to nip this in the bud now. We have to protect those who can't protect themselves."

She was thinking of Gippal, too weak to even get out of bed. She could not let the reach of these demon vines approach him. He had already cheated death once this week, she wasn't going to gamble again with his life so soon.

Gippal would likely object, of course. She could just imagine him scolding her for endangering herself deliberately like this, but a Mistress has a duty to protect her slaves. He would have no say in how she chose to defend him.

They all turned to Paine, awaiting her answer.

She was looking out on the field of rubble, thinking about her decision.

"Seriously, Paine," said Tidus. "If you want to go for help, we all wish of the best of luck."

She remembered Baralai's warning, and knew he wouldn't approve of her recklessly running back into a forest of killer trees, but to take off impulsively into unfamiliar terrain was just as impulsive. She wouldn't know which way to go, and she would be alone at nightfall if she couldn't find help.

And besides, there was no doubt in her mind that Baralai would come looking for her if she didn't return soon. He might already be searching for them, and the first place he would look would be this giant forest, not the middle of the Bevelle ruins.

She might as well put her time and energy to better effort destroying more murderous weeds than tromping around disoriented in the broken concrete and pipes.

"Alright, I'm in. I can't let you all go off and get yourselves killed," she said, shouldering her sword and following.

"No one's getting killed today," said Tidus cheerfully. "But I can't speak for any large boo-boo's you ninnies might pick up."

"Who are you calling a ninny?"

"So confident now just 'cause you're wearing a new clown costume."

"Drehg oui'na cu csynd, tu oui, funs pnyehc?" (Think you're so smart, do you, worm brains?)

" 'Brains' of what?"

"Hey, take it out on the psycho-weeds!"

"**With pleasure!!**"

Rikku and Yuna fired Thundraga at the same time at both sides of the hole they had emerged from. Static electricity filled the air and blue-lightening flashed bright enough to blind them as the two powerful spells sizzled along their targets, splitting the woods into two lines of tangled trees.

"Whoa, that's some powerful stuff when you guys are ticked off," said Tidus in awe. "I'll lay off the teasing for a while."

Yuna looked thoughtfully from one row of trees to the other, separated by about a hundred feet of grey dust and the path they had come down. They now had two areas to aim at, and if they took them one after the other, one row of trees could flourish while the other one was being turned to dust. They couldn't afford for either to get any bigger.

"Okay, new strategy," she said. " 'Divide and conquer.' We'll split up into two teams. Rikku and Paine take the right bank, Tidus and I will take the left. We'll keep our backs to outside field and try to remain within shouting distance."

"Aye aye, captain!" cried Rikku. She aimed her charged Firaga at the right side of the hole and watched it fry. Paine leapt in front of her to ward off attacks as Rikku summoned another spell.

Tidus did the same for Yuna. Once she had made a dent in the forest, they rushed in to confront the new edge of vines.

It became a repeated pattern of systematic attacks. As soon as the barricade of vines had turned grey, they ran over the crumbled remains until they ran into another barrier.

After a while, this began to form a curved, L-shape wall. The mages threw spells that pressed them into the heart of the woods while their protectors threw Fire Gems and Lightening Gems to the perimeters at their side. The mages had to veer off to the side now and then to maintain their growing hole, and sometimes had to retreat into the opening to gulp down bottles of items, but they were slowly making progress.

As the day wore on, so did their energy, although their health was easily cured. They only called to each other when they were in need of items, the supply of which was dwindling quickly.

"That's the last of the gems," said Paine as she threw a Fire gem.

"You got any more up there, tough guy?" she called to Tidus, who was fighting a vine forty feet away and twenty feet up.

He finished slashing the vine and checked his supplies. "No more Fire gems, no Lightening, no grenades, no bombs, no Chocobo wings or feathers-"

He cut off as Yuna fell to her knees in exhaustion and he tossed her a bottle. "And now, no more Elixer."

"But it can't be much longer," said Rikku. "The forest is getting smaller. We just need to last longer than it does." She tried to charge a Firaga, but she lacked the magic. She pulled out her last Turbo Ether.

Another hour went pass. It was late afternoon by now.

"This is it, we only have one Phoenix Down left between the two of us," said Rikku to Paine.

Yuna heard them from over the distance between their two groups.

"How many PD's do we have, Tidus?" She had run out of them about fifteen minutes ago when Tidus had last collapsed due to poisoning.

"I'm fresh out." He threw his last Sparkler into the mesh of vines in front of them before turning and wrapping his arms around her, covering her as the item exploded behind him and shielding her from the blast. The fire rolled over his back in waves, but none of it burned through the suit to hurt him.

'_Thank you, Gippal._' This suit had already proven its worth a million times today. He hoped he would live long enough to tell Gippal and Shinra of its success.

When the inferno finally passed, he glanced down at Yuna, still clutched protectively in his arms. She lifted her face from where she had buried it in his chest during the explosion, her lovely eyes meeting his. She didn't seem to be in any hurry to let him go either.

"Yuna, I have to ask you something."

"What?" she asked breathlessly. They were in the middle of nowhere. Being attacked by, of all things, overgrown weeds! But still, he was looking at her in that way that never failed to make her heart flutter and her knees weak.

"When we run out of Potions, I don't want you to revive me when I pass out."

She opened her mouth to object, but he hurried on.

"We need your magic to defeat these trees. We only have so many Ethers left. You and Rikku need to destroy them all at once, or they will only grow back and, eventually, overrun all of Spira. We can't waste spells on White magic."

"But… I need you there to intercept the attacks! I can fire spells a lot more rapidly when nothing is interrupting me." She looked up at him with beseeching eyes. "I _need_ you."

His gloved hand brushed her cheek affectionately. "You're strong, Yuna. You can take down this crazy parsley. I believe in you."

She resisted moaning in frustration, mostly at herself. He had an incredible talent of persuading her into following his crazy plans.

She leaned into him, relishing in the safety of his embrace. She trusted him to detect when anything was about to strike at them, so she had nothing to worry about for a few stolen seconds

Relaxing like this, her exhaustion slowly began to catch up on her. All she wanted to do was run away from this homicidal plant, cuddle up with Tidus in some clean sheets somewhere (this plant dust was really making her itchy) and sleep for two days.

But she couldn't, not yet. She pushed her fatigue away and reached down within herself for more strength.

She needed to destroy these wicked plants first. If Tidus was going to sacrifice himself to give her a chance to fight, then she was surely going to succeed. There was no way she was going to let this weed patch get its creepy tentacles on him.

"Okay," she whispered, setting her hands on the armor over his chest and looking up into his eyes. "Let's rake 'em out!"

"That's my girl." He took a split second to press his lips firmly against hers, then he vanished from her arms, having spun out and lacerating a vine that had almost reached them.

He jumped on the whipping vine and ran up its thick girth, cutting into it at a higher point with his heels. The whole tube fell to the ground and turned deathly grey.

Yuna had used the time to begin another Thundraga spell.

"More Antidote?!" called Rikku.

Tidus, hopping along vines overhead, tossed four down to her. Yuna only hoped he had kept a few for himself; she only had about six left herself.

After three more spells, she saw him going berserk along the entire border of the trees, slashing like crazy and giving it his all to vines that hadn't even moved yet.

There was only one reason someone went berserk.

His face was green with poison and lines of strain etched his brow. He had given away all his Antidotes, and he wasn't wasting his time sipping Potions. Or maybe he didn't have any left. At any rate, he was fighting it out until he collapsed.

She couldn't allow that to happen, not yet!

She had promised she wouldn't revive him, but she could still force him to gulp an Antidote.

Her spell was finally ready, she threw it at the trees surrounding him, then sprinted to the place she where she saw him jump down.

Crouching in the dust, he was overcome with weariness. She didn't have much time.

He fell forward when she was only ten feet away.

"NO! TIDUS!"

Vines began creeping over his prone form. She used her staff to whack them away, kicking them when they were stubborn and poisoning herself in the process.

She had no time to kneel down and check Tidus, the deadly tentacles were coming too fast. She threw a quick Fire spell, then another, striving for haste instead of strength in the magic.

Once she had enough room to pause, she glanced back at Tidus' unconscious body. He wasn't dead, she knew that, he would be fine as soon as she found more Phoenix Down.

But the sight of him, lifeless and hurt, sent her into a fury that made her reaction to Leblanc's threat look like a weak echo. Energy she didn't know she still possessed fueled her strength as the adrenaline flooded her body.

A Thundraga spell erupted out of her and mowed down the vines surrounding her. She didn't even pause, but ran right into the grove of plants and pushed as deep as she could manage.

Another Thundraga exploded and liquefied all the vines in a thirty foot radius.

"Whoa. Remind me never to mess with Tidus if Yuna is going to find out," said Paine as she saw Yuna emerge from the electric orb that had destroyed the landscape of vines that had been in front of them.

"She needs an Antidote. She doesn't even notice she's poisoned," said Rikku, concerned.

"Great, you try getting close to her. I'll stay safely back here."

"Umm, maybe I'll just wait for her to run out of magic."

That took about ten minutes. In that time, Yuna had cut, or rather fried, a path to another opening to the green plains beyond, leaving everything between a grey wasteland.

She fell down in exhaustion and patted her pockets for Ether.

"Yunie? You need to take Antidote and Potion too," said Rikku from behind her. Both she and Paine had approached as soon as it was safe, and now they were protecting her from the random vines as she gulped the different items.

She got to her feet, fire still alight in her eyes. "Right, let's finish this!"

She jumped over the small vines and ran for the wall of weeds instead, not bothering with the petty stuff, already charging up again.

"Yes, that's okay, Yuna. We'll take it from the other angle, and then we'll meet at the center. Or one fourth inward for us, three fourths for you. Be careful and don't forget to take your meds. Oh, don't worry, we'll be fine. In fact-"

"Who are you talking to? She can't hear you," Rikku said, puzzled at Paine's sarcasm.

"Oh, never mind. Come on."

The Potions eventually did run out. Paine was the next to go down. Her last thoughts were filled with the image of Baralai's face, hoping he would understand why she had done this.

Rikku had no choice but to leave her and keep spell-casting.

When Rikku's Ether was gone, she switched to her Warrior sphere and ran toward Yuna, determined to help her even if she didn't want it. While running, she was struck with a poisonous branch. She was able to slice it to mincemeat, but she had no Antidote left. And neither did Yuna.

"This is it, Rikku. We're almost there!" It was only a small cluster of green vines that were left. They could actually see both sides of the copse. It would only be a few more spells, if Yuna's magic lasted that long, they would be done.

Rikku took up a defensive position next to Yuna, chopping up the vines that got too close, and trying to ignore her dwindling health from the poison.

Yuna's rage had abated a little with her exhaustion and the passing time, but she still hurled spell after spell with more strength than she ever had before. She held nothing back in this final push for victory.

"One more Thunder, Yunie," called Rikku. She had fallen behind and was leaning heavily on her sword. Black spots swam before her eyes, but she was not going to pass out until she knew her cousin was out of danger too.

The trees were so small that they didn't even need the level three attack. Yuna reached for her magic and threw it at the woven branches. They sparked and sputtered into grey ash, and then were still.

She paused and waited for something else to jump out at her, but nothing did.

It was done. They had destroyed the entire forest at last.

Yuna sank to her knees, weak and exhausted from the day of fighting and walking. Not a spot on her body didn't ache with fatigue. The wave of relief that swept over her threatened to take away what little was left of her strength.

Rikku managed to limp over to Yuna's side.

"We did it," she whispered.

Yuna looked at her cousin's face. Rikku would've been jumping in victory, but she was only smiling with calm serenity. And her face was getting greener by the second.

"I… can't cure the poison, Rikku. But I have j-just enough magic… left to give you some h-health," Yuna panted. "Then… you c-can help me back to the others."

"You should help yourself, Yunie." But Yuna had already cast Cure on Rikku.

Rikku stood up straighter, then reached down and helped Yuna up. They only had a little time before the poison made Rikku weak again. She had to use her strength while it lasted.

She looped Yuna's arm over her shoulders, and wrapped one around Yuna's waist. Then they stumbled off together through the ash and dead branches to where Tidus and Paine had fallen, coincidentally only a few dozen yards apart.

"I'm going to try to bring Paine closer," said Rikku when they finally reached Tidus. Yuna pulled away from her and walked shakily to where Tidus lay.

She dropped to her knees next to him, her mage's hat falling to the ground, and drew his head into her lap.

It was comforting to see his shallow breathing. She placed her hand at the gap in his vest and felt the faint beat of his heart against his bare skin. Cuts and bruises marred his tan skin, but he was alive.

"We did it, baby. We got them all." She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead, then rested her cheek against his until she heard the scuffling sound that meant Rikku had returned.

She looked up to see Rikku had slipped her hands under Paine's arms and locked her hands over her chest to drag her over to Yuna and Tidus. Rikku panted with the effort and gently set Paine down. Then she sat down and drew her knees to her chest. Her face was beginning to get worse as the poison began to take a toll again.

"Have you tried the commsphere yet?"

Yuna had forgotten. She pulled the sphere out and turned it on.

"It's still static. But if all the... t-trees are gone, what could be interfering w-with the signal?"

"Dunno," Rikku replied, wincing as the poison took some more of her health. Her eyes turned toward the horizon.

"It's going to be dark soon."

Neither of them wanted to discuss that. Darkness meant fiends and dropping temperatures. They didn't have any shelter, or even any magic left to create a fire.

Rikku was going to pass out soon from the poison, and Yuna was too weak to switch spheres and protect her three unconscious friends. She would valiantly try, of course, but it would likely end with the four of them being dinner for a couple of coyote fiends.

"We saved the camp, Rikku... That's all that mattered."

Rikku nodded at that truth. At least she had protected Gippal, that had been her goal. She was only sorry she hadn't been able to tell him good-bye this morning.

This morning, when Brother and Cid had found her peacefully asleep in his arms and rudely awakened them. It seemed like a lifetime ago after all that had happened.

'_What I wouldn't give to be in his arms right now.'_ Rikku buried her face in her knees and thought of Gippal while her energy ebbed away.

Yuna watched the sunset turn the sky to brilliant colors of red and orange. She wished Tidus was awake to see it with her.

She looked down at his face, the image even more glorious than the sunset. Her fingers ran tunnels through his golden hair and traced the handsome features that she had come to know and love so much.

If only she could see his eyes again.

She glanced down at the ring he had put on her finger. It was a weak substitute, but the lovely blue stone pacified her just as his summer-sky gaze would have.

Both Yuna and Rikku knew they were unlikely to survive the night, but still, in that grey wasteland of charred vines and wires, they felt the deepest sense of peace.

A fog rolled in with the night, concealing them in their own little circle and making their situation seem even more dire than it had already been. It was too gloomy for Yuna to watch. She cradled Tidus closer and leaned over him, awaiting their demise from whatever would dealt it.

She didn't know how much time passed in that despair, but sometime later, a low rumble made Yuna snap her eyes open. She glanced all around, but could see nothing in the mist. Her vision was already a little blurry.

"Rikku, are you still with me?"

Rikku lifted her head, her eyes glazed over with the poison. "The ground is shaking."

Yuna clutched Tidus closer to her chest, wrapping her arms protectively around his head. It was doubtful she would even be able to make it to her feet, but she would defend him anyway she could.

The rumbling got louder. Yuna didn't want imagine what kind of fiend was about to show itself.

But then… voices! Calls in Al Bhed. Cries of their names.

Someone was looking for them.

"Her-" Yuna's voice broke and she had to take a few more breaths to draw strength before calling again.

"Here! We're over here! Please, help us! Over here!"

Rikku managed a few yells too. "Rana! Rana! Ramb!" (Here! Here! Help!)

The rumbling got closer, and Yuna recognized one of the voices. "Baralai! Over here!"

The small dead branches around them that had retained their shape crumbled under the earthshake.

Finally, bursting out of the ashen trees and fog came two large machina shuttles. Their searchlights blinded them as the shuttles halted.

"Paine? Lady Yuna! _Paine!_" Baralai's call was accompanied by a thud as he jumped out of the shuttle, not even bothering to use the door or the step ladder.

He ran for Paine's unmoving form and fell to his knees beside her, pulling her into his arms. His face was the very definition of anxiety and horror.

"She's ok. Just… passed out," gasped Yuna, her throat sore from yelling.

Another searchlight emerged from the mist. A shuttle with Al Bhed markings pulled in next to the other two shuttles.

"Rikku? Ed'c oui!" came Commander Zimmus' voice from the bow of the shuttle. (It's you!)

It was at that moment that Rikku winced again, and then slumped over like a lifeless doll, the poison finally rendering her unconscious.

"RIKKU!" shouted Zimmus in distress, leaping over the rail of the shuttle in the same fashion as Baralai and running toward her. Several other Al Bhed in the shuttle followed him, rushing to the aid of their beloved princess.

"It's only poison," said Yuna. "We ran out of Antidote and… Phoenix Down."

"How?" asked Zimmus aghast, carefully supervising an Al Bhed man pouring a bottle of Mega Phoenix Down over Rikku.

Baralai was pouring some over Paine, too.

"Long story," she gasped, their images were swimming before her eyes. "Do you have any more of those?"

It was only then that they noticed that Yuna was on the verge of collapse as well. Two men rushed over to steady her.

"Did you run out of Potion too?" one asked.

She nodded.

"I'll take a High-Potion too if you happen to have one," she said, holding out her hand for the bottle of Mega Phoenix Down he had pulled out.

The man began searching his pockets as Yuna poured the Phoenix Down onto Tidus. She drank the Elixer the man had managed to produce, feeling her strength return, even if her exhaustion remained.

"Help me lift Sir Tidus up," the man told his companion.

"No, not yet," objected Yuna. She was barely holding onto her consciousness, and truthfully, it would be a relief to let the others take over and take care of everything. But she wasn't going to let Tidus out of her embrace until she was assured he was alright.

The men took the hint. Nodding to each other, they retreated a few steps.

A few lifetimes of seconds later, Tidus finally stirred. His lashes fluttered open, and Yuna gazed deeply in the blue eyes she had longed to see again.

"Welcome back," she whispered. His lips curved upward at the sight of her lovely face.

His hand lifted to her cheek and he would've pulled her down for a kiss, except he noticed they had an audience and quickly aborted that plan.

"Did we get all the weeds?" he asked her.

"Yes, we finally did." She smiled tenderly at him. Her eyes closed as she rubbed her cheek against his hand, feeling all the tension finally leaving her body in the relief that followed his awakening.

Nearby, Paine was stirring too. She awoke in Baralai's arms and felt for sure she was dreaming. Could she really be so lucky as to wake up in the one place she always wanted to be?

Baralai exhaled deeply the breath he had been holding in. "You're making me old before my time, woman," he growled, pulling her into his embrace.

"But you will make such a handsome old man, my dear," she said, her fingers finding their way into his soft hair. He was silent as he savored the feel of her in his arms.

"You promised you would be careful, Paine. Do you have any idea how frantic I've been?" Baralai's voice was thick with emotion; he could barely get the words out over the lump in his throat. He buried his face in her neck before anyone could see the tears that threatened to fall.

"I knew you would come for us. For me," she whispered. "The only reason I didn't leave my friends was because I knew you would come to the rescue."

She smiled up at him, an expression rarely seen on her face. Her brilliant smiles were saved only for him. "Thank you for finding me."

Baralai might have kissed her just then, but both he and Paine had never been very open people. They didn't like to share their displays of affection so openly with others. He would prefer to have her back in their private room where they could both express just how deeply they had missed each other.

Baralai lifted her to her feet and helped her to the shuttle he had jumped from. He guided her to a seat on the shuttle and sat down beside her, holding her hand and allowing her head to settle on his shoulder.

Rikku had been carried onto the Al Bhed shuttle before she had even opened her eyes under the Commander's orders. Ten different men were fussing over her, dabbing her cuts with medicines and trying to get her to drink water.

Zimmus was close by, frantically trying to get a signal on his commsphere to notify Cid that his daughter had been found. He knew his general was on the verge of a stroke as it was. With the shock this morning and her disappearance this afternoon, Cid's daughter was fast becoming a hazard to her father's health.

Cid was on another shuttle somewhere, as was Brother, both searching for the girl they had scolded so forcefully this morning and feeling every inch of remorse.

It was still such an inconvenient mystery that the commspheres had stopped working the moment they had left the refugee camp. Zimmus worried over getting the news to Cid before the general went out of his mind. He decided they couldn't wait to get Rikku back.

"Fa' na raytehk pylg huf!" he commanded. The driver powered up the engine and turned the shuttle around. (We're heading back now!)

The only option was to get Princess Rikku back to camp and send out more shuttles to notify the search parties that the missing Summoner and her guardians had been found.

"We'll see you back at camp," Zimmus called to Baralai, who raised his arm in vague acknowledgment.

Tidus had finally made it to his feet, waving away the supporting hands of the two helpful men. He actually wasn't feeling all that terrible, he had just taken a couple hour nap after all, but Yuna was looking worse by the moment.

"Ready to go home?" he asked her.

She nodded, gazing up at him with sleepy eyes. "I want a bath."

He reached down and scooped her into his arms. "That can be arranged," he whispered.

She laid her head against his shoulder. Yawning and wrapping her arms around his neck as he carried her onto the last shuttle. "I might fall asleep before we get there," she said softly.

There were three unoccupied seats on the shuttle, and Tidus lay her down across them. Her head fell back onto the padded cushion, her eyes closed and her face serene, the loveliest vision he had ever seen.

He thought she might already be asleep, but she startled awake when she felt his arms leaving her. She was disoriented as she glanced around, too tired to even remember what had happened only a few moments ago. But then she smiled up at him. He smiled back.

Abruptly her loopy smile ended as she noticed something. "Where's my hat?"

He looked confused. "Your hat? It will appear the next time you turn into the sphere."

Her eyes were like those of a five-year-old, begging for her teddy bear. "Please get it."

She probably wouldn't even remember asking for it in the morning, but still, Tidus was never able to deny her what she wanted.

"Okay," he whispered, and her eyes lit up like she was about to recieve a present.

"I'll be back."

"I know you will. You promised." Her eyes fell again.

Tidus stood up and looked around at the rescue team who was awaiting the conclusion of their whispered conversation.

"Are we set, Sir? If we leave now, we can get her back to the healers before the hour is up."

"Hold on a sec." Tidus jumped over the rail of the shuttle (the driver dimly wondered what was the point of stairs if people only jump over them) and hurried back to the place where he had laid in Yuna's lap.

Her Black Mage hat was lying crumpled nearby. He lifted it up and knocked the dust off it against his knee. It was then that he saw a small squirming, green vine in the black dust.

'_Don't these things ever give up?!'_ He was going to talk to Nooj about having the Youth League's air force spray this entire area was gasoline and then light a match.

'_But first, I better take some of this stuff back to Shinra.'_

Tidus crouched in the dust and used his short knife to pick up the squiggling vine. There was no other place to carry it, he had to put it in Yuna's hat. He knew she would be asleep by the time he got back to the shuttle; she wouldn't mind.

He climbed back into the shuttle, trying to ignore the looks the men gave him. So he was a guy who got a hat for his girl when she asked him with puppy eyes. Whipped? Yes. But he didn't care.

"Let's go," he said coolly. "No reason to wait around _rana_ anymore."

His nervousness had him slip into Al Bhed. He was so embarrassed, but Yuna sleeping peaceful as a child on the seats was enough to settle his discomfort.

He walked to her, dropping the hat onto the floor next to her. Lifting her head, he sat on the seat and settled her head back into his lap, providing her a pillow as she had done for him.

They would be back at the camp soon, and he wanted to take care of her, to thank her for saving the day, and all their lives. She had earned a bit of pampering.

As the drivers of both shuttles pulled away, Tidus rested his head back against the rail and shut his eyes, one hand laid protectively over her hair.

Contrary to what he had believed, not one man on that shuttle had been regarding him with distain or hilarity. He had been caring and handling Lady Yuna with the utmost tenderness, and they had marveled at his commitment to her. He had even fetched her ridiculous hat to soothe her while she was weak and disoriented.

Now he held her gently while she was most vulnerable. They were in complete awe of his open affection, kindness, and cool attitude toward it all.

They were just curious about whatever was squirming in the hat rolling about on the floor.

Outside the Celsius

It was very dark out. Brother and Buddy were coming down the Celsius' ramp.

Buddy was trying to keep Brother from breaking down into tears again. He wanted to get on the next shuttle and go out looking for Rikku, Yuna, Paine and Tidus again. It would be hard to search in the dark, but there was no way anyone was going to get any sleep until they were found.

Curiously, the night was filled with scattered applause and cheers. Buddy squinted through the dark, trying to find out where the sound was coming from. A group of people was coming toward the ship. Several of them carried hanging lanterns and illuminated the faces of the others around them. The group's attention was focused on a figure carrying a woman in his arms.

"It's Tidus! And he has Yuna!" cried Buddy. "They found them!"

Brother gave out a raucous yelp, then sprinted toward the group. Buddy ran after.

"What happened?! Is Yuna okay?!" She was obviously asleep in Tidus' arms, but the light showed her pale face.

"She's fine, Brother. Just exhausted," Tidus said, turning back to Shinra who was walking by his side. The boy held Yuna's Black Mage hat in his hands, and he was staring down into it. He was listening to Tidus' explanation of what the small green worm was capable of.

"And this stuff was thirty feet tall. We were able to use Thunder and Fire to turn it to ashes, but it grows back quickly. That piece is already twice the size it was when I picked it up, so you must be careful to make sure it doesn't get too large."

"This is surely an incredible substance. I must analyze it right away," Shinra said enthusiastically.

"That's exactly what I thought you would want to do. Just be careful with it. It gets out of hand very quickly."

Shinra scurried off into the night with his prize. It was very likely the boy would get no sleep tonight. Instead, he would spend the hours tinkering with the cyber-plant.

"Where's Rikku?!" demanded Brother.

"Commander Zimmus brought her back on another shuttle. He probably took her to the women's hospital. I bet he was going to get a hold of Cid, too."

Brother gave another yelp and took off into the night to find his little sister.

"Buddy, I need you to find Nooj for me. It's very important I talk to him tonight." said Tidus.

"Uh, sure," said Buddy. "Is Paine okay too?"

"With Baralai. Probably getting the same treatment Yuna needs."

Three hours later

Gippal stared at the ceiling, admitting for the hundredth time that there was no way he was getting to sleep tonight.

Zimmus, at least, had had the decency to come in and tell him that Yuna, Tidus, Rikku, and Paine had gone off to investigate the disappearance of a surveillance team and hadn't returned for hours. A search party had been formed to find the High Summoner, her fiancée, the Al Bhed princess, and the Praetor's girlfriend.

It was the third description on that list that concerned Gippal most.

He was stuck in a hospital bed while who-knew-what was happening to Rikku. The afternoon had been nothing but a snail crawl of time while he waited anxiously for someone _else_ to find _his_ girl.

Then somehow, by some stroke of fortune, Commander Zimmus had sent a soldier to his bedside to tell him the princess, summoner and their friends had been found. The princess was in the women's tent on the other side of the camp. She was bone-weary and moderately injured, but she would be fine.

Gippal had almost passed out in relief. His first reaction was to see her, of course, but he had _guards_ that were not letting him out of the curtained room he had been banished to.

He had warned Rikku last night that Cid would make them pay for spending the night together, no matter how innocent it had been, but she didn't listen to him. And they had paid the price this morning when Cid had forbade them from seeing each other.

'_Of course, she never _does_ listen to me,'_ he thought fondly.

When everyone else always scurried off to carry out his orders, she was questioning his logic and objecting to whatever he said.

Actually, her arguments with him were one of the reasons he found her so charming. No one else would dare to question his authority, no one except his Rikku.

And now she was on the other side of the camp after spending the day fighting a mutant plant, (or something like that; what the messenger had said didn't make much sense.)

And he was stuck here, with Cytol and Matrik lurking outside the curtain that surrounded his bed. They were two big brutes that actually had more brains than he had first given them credit for. When Rikku had tried to sneak in to see him mid-morning, after the tongue-lashing she had gotten from her father, the brutes had called Brother. He had chased her effectively out of the tent.

With his legs banged up, Gippal might as well have been tethered to a stump. There was no way he would be able to console himself with a trip to Rikku's side.

'_Well, at least she's okay. Take comfort in that.'_

But he just couldn't.

He wanted more, _tyssed_, than just simple contentment. He wanted her here in his arms where he could see for himself that she was whole and healthy. (dammit)

His head turned over again and tried to find the cool side of the pillow. There was no hope of him getting to sleep in this condition. His thoughts and concerns just kept rolling in his head.

The swishing of the curtain had him looking back the other way. A tall White Mage healer had entered his prison, her white hood pulled so low over her face he couldn't tell who it was.

She raised her finger to her lips to indicate no talking, which actually made him want to make a lot of noise. He didn't know why a White Mage would visit him this late and ask for silence unless it was for one thing, and he was no condition to accommodate her.

Not that he wanted to. He wanted to go back to moping over missing Rikku in peace.

The White Mage pushed back her hood. His jaw fell open in astonishment.

"_Dr. P?!_" he hissed. _'What in the name of all of Spira was she doing here?'_

Paine shook her head and rolled her eyes, bringing her finger to her lips again.

Had she come to tell him something about Rikku? It would've been very nice of her to do so, not that he had ever known Dr. P. to be particularly sentimental about things like that.

No, she wouldn't have snuck into his room without something very important to discuss with him.

Although, he couldn't see Baralai letting her get away from him after spending the afternoon worrying about her. If it was anything like the thunderstorm of worry he had over Rikku, Paine would've been locked up in his room for days.

Paine reached down into her pouch for her garment grid. The White Mage outfit melted away… and so did Paine's face.

Gippal had to rub his eyes twice before he believed what he was seeing.

Rikku stood before him in her thief outfit, a heart-melting smile on her face.

She looked exhausted. She looked pale. She looked incredible.

Rikku walked to his bed and lifted the blanket to crawl in beside him. He scooted over and wrapped his arm around her.

After taking a moment to stare at her in disbelieving wonder, his kisses assaulted her. He didn't have another hand to run over her body to make sure she didn't have any terrible injuries, so he let his lips explore her.

Rikku pushed his face away from her neck and placed her lips against his. The kiss was slow and sweet, and far too short in Gippal's opinion.

"You stole Paine's garment grid," he whispered softly. He was not going to blow this precious gift. He wasn't going to let those two brutes outside hear them and tear her out of his arms (or arm as the other one was incapacitated).

"I wasn't going to sleep until I saw you, slave," she barely whispered back. Her head burrowed into his shoulder and she sighed deeply, inhaling his delicious scent.

"I can't stay awake a minute more. Please just hold me and sleep."

"Whatever you say, Mistress."

She settled more comfortably against him. In a few beats, she went limp in his arms, sleeping soundly.

Gippal smiled into the darkness, so grateful he had gotten his wish. So grateful that she was alive and okay and here with him.

They would have to face the music again tomorrow morning, but he knew they could survive it. They had done so today, and that had been pure torture. Cid could lock him in an underground concrete cell, but his resourceful Rikku would always find a way to defy her father.

Paine was going to be furious Rikku had used her garmet grid, and therefore incrimidating her as well. But Rikku would survive that tongue-lashing. Maybe if he got to Paine first (or he got her to come to him since he couldn't exactly leave his bed) then he could talk Paine into lessoning Rikku's punishment.

Yeah, sweet-talking Dr. P. Not likely to happen in this lifetime. Maybe he would try to get to Baralai, and he could do the Paine sweet-talking.

Rikku stirred slightly, her arm around his waist tightening.

With the feel her soft hair under his chin and her warm body pressed against his, it was now very easy for him to fall asleep.

* * *

**So there you go , another chapter down. And a mysterious new weapon that has nothing to do with the pyreflies or the Farplane.**

**You know, all that stuff about Kelvar was actully true. Who says you don't learn anything in college chemistry!**

**And the jumping over the rails without using the stairs, that's what I thought about everytime Yuna jumped over the rail on the Bridge in FFX2. What's the point of having those stairs there if the person's not going to use them unless they are going up?**

**Oh, then Yuna's and Tidus' protective streak for each other. Aww so cute. I can't wait to intensify that in the upcoming battles.**

**Okay, I need some feedback. Does the battles incorporating the items work? It was a little redundant, but it also was the point of the whole scene. If you don't want to see any more of it, then you better leave a review. You know, cause it would be a cool thing to do, review and tell me what you think. Just saying...**


	5. Chapter 5 New Allies and Enemies

**Whoo-hoo! I'm back baby! And a round of applause for the readers, they have been fantastically patient during this writer's block and I couldn't have done any of this without knowing they were out there waiting. You guys are AWESOME!**

**After the fun and action of the last chapter, this one was pretty boring to write. It's like the boring tutitorial during the game, you want to just cruise through it but you have to read it to understand what the heck you're doing.**

**As a result, this chapter is pretty mushy. Someone said they wanted to see more fluff scenes. Well, geesh. After the first two chapters, I was afraid people would mistake this fanfic for a poofy french poodle. But if it's fluff you want, then you got it. **

**WARNING: Some suggestive material in the Cid vs. Rippal scene may be offensive to some readers. So if you are going to be offended, please skip over that part. I'm too lazy to change the rating of the fic!**

**And thank you to everyone for your suggestions and plot ideas. And to the rest of my reviewers, thank you bundles of puppies!**

**-Tuna fluff ... check! Thank you sanchez2010**

**-Paralai fluff ... check! Thanks to ariesbolt and eolhcsullivan452**

**-Rippal fluff ... check! Wait, no one asked for that. There's already too much of it. Well, we got more! Yay!**

**-Confrontation between Cid and Rippal ... check! Thank you Lucky7, that was a REALLY great idea.**

**-Finally an introduction to Mister Bad-Guy ... check! Thank you Lucky7 again. (And you're all welcome. I didn't realize it would take this long to get to that point.)**

**-The new weapons and conflict I wanted to introduce in this chapter ... uh, no. Forgot to add that. Was too busy fulfilling dreams.**

**So what would you know, all this time spent on this boring chapter and I still didn't get into the parts I wanted. So the next chapter might be up sooner than 3 months because it was supposed to go in this one. Yeah, I'll be eating my words on that one. Cross your fingers!**

**And as usual, due to universal copyright laws, I do not own final fantasy X or seek any infringement that would benefit me in any form, blah, blah, blah.**

* * *

Two Days Later

"Hello, handsome."

Tidus looked up from breakfast as Yuna came down the stairs and toward him. Her hair was messy from sleeping. She was still wearing her pink bathrobe, and she looked irresistible.

"I missed my breakfast in bed this morning," she said coyly as she sat across his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck for her morning kiss.

"Sorry, I didn't have time this morning. I had to get up early and talk to Cid and Shinra," he said as soon as she let him up for air. Tidus hauled her closer and tweaked her nose, teasingly. "You, Missy Summoner, may be able to take a few days off, but someone has to do the work around here."

"I didn't hear you complaining yesterday, Sir Guardian," she replied with a cheeky grin, running her hands up his back. Between the bubble baths, lotioned rub-downs, room service in bed, and foot massages yesterday, Yuna had all but forgotten about the outside world as Tidus wrapped her up in a cozy world of romantic tenderness.

She set her hand on his nape and stoked his hair affectionately. She would have to find some way to pay him back someday, she thought mischievously. But meanwhile, she was going to take every advantage of this doting treatment.

"It's rude to let your summoner go hungry, you know."

Without further prompting, Tidus reached for the breakfast dishes and hand-fed her a piece of toast.

"Hmm, the accommodations on this ship may be better, but I miss Barkeep's cooking," she said around a mouthful of food.

Upon awakening the day before, she had found herself in an unfamiliar bedroom. Already dazed, she had almost bolted in fear, but as Tidus was asleep right beside her, she had refrained from panic and waited for his lovely form to wake up.

He had explained that they were on one of the sky-yachts that had arrived from Dijose with another load of supplies and volunteers. When he had heard the ship's features included a master suite with a large two-person bathtub, he had decided to put the unloaded ship to good use by cosseting the exhausted Yuna in its lavish accommodations.

Yuna had to admit that she was growing quite fond of the place. Already there were so many lovely memories, and she hadn't even seen beyond the bedroom or bathroom yet. She had only managed to find the breakfast room because she had followed the noisy sounds of Tidus eating.

It was such a shame they were soon going to have to move back to the Celsius and again take advantage of the Gullwings' hospitality.

"Maybe we can offer Barkeep a better salary and steal him away from the Celsius, but it's going to have to come outta your income," said Tidus as he popped a berry in her mouth.

"Huh?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you. This ship is ours. Early wedding present from Gippal and Shinra."

Yuna sputtered and started choking on the food she was swallowing. Tidus pounded her on the back. "Hey now, you're not picking up my bad habits now, are you?"

Yuna reached for a glass of juice and found her breath. "They _gave_ us this ship?!"

"Well, yeah. But as Baralai also got an identical one this morning, I think we should be able to wheedle another wedding present out of those two." He chuckled while continuing to nibble on her neck.

"Where did Shinra find air-yachts to give away?"

"He said it was Gippal's idea. One for everyone, customized especially for the High Summoner and faction leaders, or something like that. It's all the same design as the one Nooj and Leblanc already have."

"How… how is Gippal? Have you seen him?" Yuna felt guilty for having forgotten all about him. It didn't seen right to be enjoying Tidus' kisses while he could be lying on his deathbed.

"Haven't seen him yet, but he's alive and kicking, much to Cid's bitter disappointment. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Rikku was trying to get him killed."

"Oh no, now what's she done?"

Tidus laughed out loud and caught her lips with his own, their arms tightening around each other. There wasn't any room for thought after that.

It took Yuna all of fifteen minutes to gather her wits again and break off the kiss. "We can't spend the whole day making-out," she gasped.

"Wanna bet?" He murmured while kissing her earlobe.

She pushed against his chest and moved him back, but before he could kiss her again, she shoved a powered doughnut in his mouth.

"I haven't been outside in two days. It's about time I got out of bed." She giggled at his overstuffed cheeks, his lips covered in white powder. Since he couldn't reply, he suggestively waggled his eyebrows at her and leaned forward to wipe the white dust onto her cheek.

He managed to make a white streak across her face before she scrambled out of his arms and got away from his attentions. He stood up too, all intention of pursuit evident in his face. Yuna shrieked a giggle and ran back up the stairs.

But before Tidus could make it to the foot of the stairs, Buddy walked into the room.

"The presence of either the High Summoner or the High Guardian is being urgently requested," he said in an exasperated huff of sarcasm. Buddy then noticed the white powder covering most of Tidus's lips and chin.

"Uh, you got something… all over." He motioned with a wave over his own face.

Tidus grabbed a napkin off the table and wiped away the powder, disappointed he wouldn't be able to chase Yuna back up the stairs.

"What's the emergency?" he demanded.

"A faction war on the verge of a generational war. And since neither of you have answered your commspheres in the last two days, I am to personally escort one or both of you to New Yevon's temporary headquarters immediately."

Grumbling, Tidus sat down to pull on his boots. "You sound as happy about it as I am to leave."

"Because Shinra was in the middle of a weapons demonstration when that blasted Chairman interrupted the peaceful morning. He's in a mighty big tiff over something. If it weren't for his strict belief against machina, we all probably would be sending Get Well cards to Baralai in the hospital."

"Chairman?"

From up the stairs came Yuna's cajoling voice. "I have the bubble bath ready to clean your messy face."

Tidus let out a sound half way between a groan and a chuckle as he stood. Buddy's eyebrows went up and his jaw fell open at the implication.

"I much as I hate to say this, I'll have to take a raincheck, sweetheart. I have to go play referee with some Chairman," Tidus called back. He spun the flabbergasted Buddy around and pushed him out the doorway.

"The former Chairman of New Yevon?!" came Yuna's voice again. Tidus turned around and saw her clutching the rail at the top of the stairs; he had to fight another groan. She was still wearing that pink bathrobe and Tidus truly wanted to kick himself for even thinking of leaving.

"Uh,… let me go find out and hurry back to tell you all about it." He managed a strained smile for her. "Be back soon." Then with a little wave, he hurried out before he ran up the stairs and joined her in that bubble bath.

From the distance, Tidus had only been able to see her sexy bathrobe and not the panicked look on Yuna's face. She dashed back into the master bedroom and started rifling through the bath towels and bed sheets scattered all over the floor and furniture, frantically looking for her garment grid.

The bubble bath would have to wait. She had to go after Tidus and stop the Chairman from bringing up a certain previous arrangement between the High Summoner and the Chairman's son.

What would Tidus say when he heard about that? What if the Chairman's son was actually _here_?! This was the last thing Spira needed right now, her current fiancé and former betrothed clashing in the middle of a national security upheaval.

She had to get down there and sort out explanations before too many feelings were hurt and heads began to roll.

Where in all of Spira was that garment grid!?!?

* * *

"So what exactly is going on?" asked Tidus as he and Buddy strolled across camp.

"The ex-Chairman of New Yevon showed up about an hour ago and verbally attacked Baralai. And since no one can beat him in a screaming match, we haven't been able to talk any sense into him. And that would be his lovely vocals now."

From across the field, raucous yells were drawing the attention of everyone. A group of Bevelle and Youth League soldiers were gathered around the large tent that was acting as the temporary New Yevon prayer tent. The warriors were on call for aid, but as no order was forthcoming, they stood around listening to the shouts coming from inside the tent.

It looked as if all the worshippers had been kicked out of the prayer tent, but were staying to hear the end of the argument, too. However, there wasn't anything distinguishable in the muffled shouts, and the angry yelling only seemed to be putting them all on restless edge.

When Tidus and Buddy approached, the soldiers elbowed each other to stop trying to hear and stood at rapt attention.

Tidus looked at them, confused, and almost turned around to see what high-ranking official had followed behind them. But Buddy saved him from that graceless gesture by elbowing his side and nodding to the saluting soldiers.

"Um, at ease?" he said hesitantly.

The soldiers relaxed their poses and moved aside for him to pass. Tidus walked stiffly by, uncertain and a little embarrassed by the respectful treatment. He tried to nod and smile, but only a few brave ones returned his gaze.

Surely they couldn't be intimidated by him?

"Sir Tidus, you are a welcome sight." Tidus almost didn't hear the greeting over the noise level from the tent, but the young Youth League soldier at the tent entrance was bowing to him with a fist on his chest. Yaibal stood aside and let Tidus through.

"Just call to us if you require any assistance," Yaibal said, and the nods from the soldiers behind him reassured Tidus he had back-up if things got out of hand. By the sounds of it, things were already out of control. But if Baralai was being threatened, he better step in or else he would surely get it from Paine.

Tidus ducked inside the tent and the screams turned into words.

"… far too young to have the responsibility in the first place! Irresponsible, conceited, and inept… It's a wonder Bevelle lasted this long! It was only a matter of time before something like this was bound to happen!"

"Tidus, there you are," came Nooj's relieved voice. The man hobbled over and stood beside him. It almost looked like he was taking cover behind the younger man.

"Nooj, what the blitz is going on?"

The yelling had been coming from an elder man leaning over a wide desk while Baralai sat in a chair behind it. Silent defiance blazed out of the Praetor's eyes as he was verbally harassed by his predecessor.

Paine stood beside Baralai's chair, her knuckles white around the base of her sword and her face crimson in anger. If looks could kill… the Chairman would be brutally murdered fifty times over. The only thing that seemed to be preventing her from gouging out the old man's eyes was the restraining hand Baralai had on her forearm behind her back.

At the sound of a newcomer in the tent, the old man turned to the doorway with the vehemence still bright in his eyes. Baralai took out a handkerchief and wiped the stranger's spittle off his robes.

"And this is the face of the New Spira? The one who wants to build the New Bevelle before the dead are cold!" The old man went on as if his tirade had never been interrupted.

He wasn't terribly old, but beyond middle age. A little older than Auron, Tidus decided. And totally straight from head to toe. His smart robes and stern features gave off the impression that he was a man used to getting what he wanted. He didn't encounter the word 'No' unless it was coming from his own lips.

"He is a virtual stranger to all our customs and history! He aided Lady Yuna in disrupting our traditions and now leaches off her fame like a parasitic worm!"

Tidus scowled at him. That was a hit below the belt and he did not appreciate it all. Even Baralai finally stood up in objection to the Chairman. Paine's grinding teeth could be heard in the short silence.

"Chairman Mathis, Lady Yuna and Sir Tidus exposed the corrupted Yevon practices and opened Spira's eyes to the truth," Nooj managed to say.

"Hiding behind a woman, a poor excuse for a man! He is far from worthy of leading the New Age of Spira and it won't save him when it comes to-"

At that moment, Yaibal, who had been listening with his ear pressed against the outside of the tent, dashed in and drew his dagger on the Chairman, his irritation finally getting the better of him. "You will not insult Sir Tidus in the lowest of manners!" he demanded.

From the grumbles coming outside the tent, it sounded like the rest of the soldiers were about to charge in as well.

Chairman Mathis looked down the blade at Yaibal, unimpressed by the show of aggression. Then he turned away from him as if the soldier was not important enough to consider as a potential threat, even with a dagger pointed at his throat.

His eyes moved between Tidus, Nooj, and back to Baralai. "This is how you, the so-called fabulous Faction Five, intend to solve all conflicts? With brute and wild force and no regards to the outcomes? You will relent to the people acting on impulsive whims and killing out of anger?"

"Yaibal," Tidus said in a deadly voice unlike anything the others had ever heard. "Return to your post." Tidus' eyes never left the fierce glare of the former Chairman, not even when he held up the tent flap for the sheepish Yaibal to leave.

"You're pathetic," the Chairman spat out.

"And you're misdirecting your anger," Tidus said, crossing his arms and sizing up the Chairman. He might have been a formidable warrior in his younger days, but he had obviously spent the last few decades in lazy leisure and letting younger men carrying out his orders. But still, he was willing to fight if it meant being heard.

He was in a full rage right now, and Tidus was willing to bet all his gill it had something to do with the flicker of pain and sadness in the back of the Chairman's eyes.

"The most historic and grandest of cities in Spira is demolished in a day and you feel I am wrong in accusing the Bevelle guardian?" Chairman Mathis continued. "With all this sacrilegious use of machina and technology, you would have expected someone to have the foresight to see the warnings! This needless loss of life is sinful and unacceptable-!"

"And what were signs!" Tidus yelled back. "What, in your infinite wisdom, would have helped prevent an attack by an unseen enemy!?"

The Chairman startled for a moment. No one had ever before shouted loudly enough that it had interrupted his own train of thinking.

"The machina is artificially simulated and will always be an abomination against the natural order! It ended the lives of many and has brought unnecessary sorrow upon us!"

"You have lived your entire life with the destruction of Sin and I doubt you have forgotten it so quickly. How can you hypocritically condemn this disaster as the work of machina when it was disproved Sin was not?!" Tidus responded.

"This would never have happened without the right stimulus! The Faction Five have had more interaction with more enemies these last few years than any previous leader in Spira's history. It's obviously one of _you_," he pointed to the three men in the room, "must have offended this enemy and brought this destruction and death upon on all these people with some petty vengeance. More loved ones and friends have been lost in one day than all the death tolls in the last ten years!"

The Chairman was almost foaming at the mouth with the rage he had worked himself into. Baralai had been on the receiving end of these insults for the better part of an hour, and he had no way of knowing how to calm this insensible old man.

Meeting Nooj's eyes, both nodded to each other in silent agreement. Until he was ready to have a civil conversation, this incoherent man had to be restrained, as much as they wished otherwise. Obviously, their recruitment of Sir Tidus had not helped in the least.

Baralai stepped in front of Paine in expectation of the violence that was about to take place in the small tent.

Before Nooj could call in his reinforcements however, Tidus dropped his arms to the side and approached Chairman Mathis. The elder man stopped his ranting as Tidus stepped nose to nose with him. But instead of a challenge in young guardian's eyes, there was only sympathy.

"Who have you lost?" asked Tidus simply, all harshness gone from his voice. Mathis stumbled back, his anger quickly deflating in his surprise.

Tidus struggled not to smile in triumph. The Chairman's constant mentioning of loosing the innocent made sense. It had to be connected to this unexplained tidal wave of anger.

"Everyone here has suffered worse than any Sin attack. They've lost homes, family, and friends, and they don't even know who to blame for their pain," Tidus said, paraphrasing what Nooj had said. "We are all trying to come to terms with what has happened. But it is wrong to start turning on one another. If we can't trust our friends, then the bad guys win and will take over."

"They were trying to kill the five of you," Mathis accused half-heartedly. "And thousands of innocents died instead."

"And it was terrible. We're all feeling the effects," Tidus replied. "And it makes us want to destroy these faceless bastards all the more, to protect the others. But we will only do so if we work together and not let our tempers get away from us."

It was something about the crystal blue of the High Guardian's eyes that cleared the mind of the grieving Chairman. He heard the wisdom in the boy's words and felt truly humbled by Tidus' insight and simple logic.

Mathis turned around, not wanting these young bucks of the next generation to see him on the verge of tears. "My son was studying the Cloister of Trials that day."

Tidus glanced at Nooj and Baralai, who were both looking at him in amazement. He had actually tamed the wild former Chairman, had discovered the cause of his rampage.

This wasn't a political attack on Baralai in an attempt to reclaim the seat of Yevon in the face of a national disaster, it was personal. The man was lashing out in anger and sadness over a lost son.

"First his brother goes missing, and then he is lost in the Bevelle tragedy," Mathis said softly, his head lowering to his chest. "Now I am truly alone."

Tidus slipped his hand onto the older man's shoulder. "We are deeply sorry for your loss, but you are far from alone. There are many who have lost their families, and we all have to be here for each other when we are most in need."

Tidus had a flashback to the tearful reunion of Niler and his nephews. "That's only assuming your son is really lost. Several miracles have already happened here."

Mathis looked back at the young man, exasperation in his glistening eyes. "You're an idealist, aren't you?" He said it as if it were the most annoying trait to have.

Tidus just shrugged helplessly. "I find it's better than wallowing over the losses of the past."

"I knew it, an idealist. I could tell the moment you walked in. You have that certain… perpetual peppiness about you." Mathis charged, trying to regain his superior air.

Tidus smiled slightly and choose to ignore that last bit. "We will add your son's name to the roster of missing people, but you might as well have a look around. Have you had time to check the hospitals yet?"

"Amphion would have notified me by now if he had survived," said Mathis dejectedly, his eyes sliding away from him again in pain.

It suddenly all clicked into place: a young Yevonite in the Cloister of Trials and too orthodox to even enter the Chamber of the Fayth to save his life.

"Maybe because he couldn't!" exclaimed Tidus. The Chairman turned at his abrupt excitement.

"Notify you, that is," Tidus rushed on. "Because maybe he's recovering from a serious injury in the hospital on the other side of camp."

"You've seen Amphion?!" Chairman Mathis exclaimed, seizing Tidus' arm. Except now, he wasn't a Chairman anymore. He was a heartbroken father who had just been told his son was alive.

"Sure, it might be him. I'll take you there," Tidus volunteered.

"Oh, thank you, Sir. Thank you!" Mathis grabbed Tidus' hand and shook it up and down enthusiastically before he could catch himself.

"Uh, sure, no problem." Tidus chuckled. "This way." He turned to lead the way out of the tent, but Mathis had turned and walked back to Baralai.

"I was wrong to lash out in grief and anger. You truly are the more worthy leader of the New Yevon." Mathis humbled himself with a deep bow of prayer.

"A father's grief is forgiven," Baralai said kindly. "I hope you will lend your piety to those here who need the spiritual guidance."

Nooj and Tidus tactfully pretended not to notice anything was going on.

"Oh, by the way, the rest of the area around Bevelle was thoroughly scorched this morning. I just got the report the fires were out," Nooj told Tidus.

Tidus nodded. "Good. The last thing we need is killer robo-tentacles taking over the camp."

He led the way out of the tent, right into a large group of eavesdroppers. Now that the noise had stopped, even more people were curious to learn what had happened.

With a practiced wave of his hand, Nooj at least sent away the Youth League members. "Nothing to see here. Move along, everyone, move along."

Some people did leave, but most of the survivors and volunteers stayed to watch Nooj, Tidus and Mathis leave the tent and make their way across the camp. All was tensely quiet as their steps were tracked by a hundred pair of eyes. A few glowered menacingly at the ex-Chairman, some glared at Nooj, and a few even shot evil looks at each other.

It was obvious the emotional anxiety was running high and increasing the strain of anger and blame. Tidus had a sinking feeling that the day was not going to end without a few brawls breaking out.

Back in the prayer tent, Paine had barely moved during the entire episode, her temper rising with Mathis' voice. Huffing out a frustrated breath, she crossed her arms and frowned fiercely at the tent entrance, as if the ex-Chairman could still feel her hateful gaze.

"You should have let me slice that insolent dog in two," she muttered, her hackles still bristled in the protective mode the Chairman's accusations had caused.

From behind her, Baralai's arms snaked around her waist, pulling her back against the wall of his chest and resting his chin on her shoulder. Her every muscle was taut under his hold.

"Down girl," he murmured, lightly pressing soft kisses to her bare shoulder, hoping to bring her down off her volatile high.

His tactic seemed to work. Her arms loosened and fell, her head tilted sideways to give him more access to her neck. He immediately took the invitation and nibbled the side of her neck.

But a minute later, Paine broke away from his embrace and spun around to face him, trying to recapture her righteous ire and composure.

"No one should be allowed to talk to you like that, Baralai," she claimed. She cracked her knuckles and shot a menacing look over her shoulder to the tent entrance again. "Man, … when he spoke, I just wanted to …"

"As much as I desired to watch you disembowel that impudent scoundrel, I could never commend any hostility that would cause a rift in Yevon's followers," he told her.

His hand lifted and caressed her cheek in another attempt to lessen her furor, the corners of his mouth turning upward. "Besides, imagine my little wildcat up against a cranky, old windbag like that? He wouldn't have lasted five seconds."

Paine allowed herself a chuckle. "That's true, he wouldn't. But he still would've deserved it."

"I'll tell you what, next time I have some spoiled bureaucrat chewing me up during some crazed power-trip, I'll sic you on him and let you have your malicious way for three whole minutes before I peal you off."

Paine sat down on his large desk and crossed her legs enticingly, a slow smile spreading across her face.

"How nice of you to _let_ me, Praetor. I feel so lucky to be allowed the opportunity to defend your honor."

"You should, my dear. I don't just give out easy victims to anyone."

"I love it when you talk victory to me," she said before grabbing his lapels and pulling him down for a full kiss.

"You do love your fights, don't you," he said against her lips.

She tapped her cheek in feigned consideration while he continued to trail kisses along her chin. "No, it's not so much the fighting as I just like the scoring," she replied teasingly.

His startled expression at her double meaning was just so adorable that she had to kiss him again, pulling him even closer for some serious necking.

It barely registered in the back of her mind that some worshipper might wander back into the tent and continue their prayers, but there were so many other important things to not think about in that moment. Like the memories of exploring the Earthquake yesterday.

She had especially liked watching the sunset from the deck of the ship while snuggled together in thick blanket, followed by more kissing late into the night. She still didn't remember how or when they had gotten back into their king-size bed last night after that tender moment.

Their new airship was exactly what she had imagined in all her dreams of flying. Paine had yet to take the baby up, but she would. And she fully intended to give Baralai a heart attack during that first flight, loop-the-loops and barrel rolls for certain. Then they would get play White Mage.

Well, as soon as she located the whereabouts of her White Mage dressphere that is.

Her fuzzy thoughts and their ardent embrace were rudely interrupted by Yuna's sudden arrival.

"Oh! Forgive me!" the summoner exclaimed, trying to reverse her hurried entrance and go back the other way. She only managed to trip and tumble gracelessly to the floor.

"Sorry! Sorry!" she said breathlessly as she tried to pick herself up.

By this point, Paine was fully distracted from Baralai, but she did manage to grab hold of him before he stepped away from her. "Where's the fire, Yuna?" she asked, annoyed by the intrusion, but at least it was only Yuna.

"I… uh… W-Where's Tidus? And the Chairman?" she stuttered.

Paine raised an eyebrow in question. "They are heading toward the south hospital tent. Apparently the Yevonite in the Chamber of the Fayth with Gippal was the Chairman's son."

Yuna's face went pale and her panic ramped up another notch. _'That Amphion was supposed to be my husband?!'_

Why hadn't he said anything every time she had seen him? She was grateful, of course, that he hadn't, at least not while Tidus was always there, but he could've said _something_.

And now they could be discussing… Oh great Spira!

She dashed out of the tent as fast as her weary legs could carry her.

"Hmm, I wonder what that was about," said Paine as she turned back to the blushing Baralai. She shrugged. "Oh well, where were we?" She trailed her fingers along his collar.

The Praetor forgot his embarrassment as she easily shrugged off the incident. He leaned back into Paine's arms. "We were here." And he kissed her again.

Meanwhile, Yuna was sprinting across the camp, not even noticing the dispersing crowd that turned their curious gaze on her.

She arrived at the south hospital and had to stop to drop her hands to her knees and catch her breath. It wouldn't do to have the others see her so disconcerted when she might have to extinguish the flames of roused tempers.

Determined to know what was going on, she pushed her way inside.

She came upon Amphion and an older man she assumed was the ex-Chairman. They were in the middle of embracing tightly. Mathis seemed preoccupied with running his hands over his son's arms and back while Amphion kept patting his back, trying to reassure his emotional father. It wasn't often he had to deal with his father in a distressed state.

So focused was Yuna upon approaching her would-be husband, she didn't see Tidus stepping up to her side until his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"I thought you were going to keep the bath warm until I got back," he leaned down to whisper in her ear. His voice sent shivers down her spine, but it didn't distract her from her distress.

Yuna looked from him to the father and son. Had they not had a chance to talk yet? Then she wasn't too late.

"Let's give them some privacy," Tidus was saying, leading her away to a two-sided curtained bed.

'_I have to tell him,'_ thought Yuna as they came around the curtain, _'before someone else does.'_

"Tidus, I…"

"Lady Yuna, how swell of you to join us," said Nooj. "It's good to see you doing better."

"Oh, um, thank you, Nooj."

They were gathered around Gippal's bedside. He was sitting up and seemed to be moving about with a lot less stiffness. Some of his smaller bandages were gone and the neck-brace had been downsized to a different model. Another black eye-patch was in place over his right eye.

Even more at ease was Rikku, draped over the head of the bed with her elbows resting on the headboard and her crossed legs settled along Gippal's side. His good hand rested on her knee. She looked like a regal queen enjoying her place of honor. Poised as a contented cat, she smiled and nodded to Yuna in greeting.

"So our Amphion was the son of the great Chairman of Yevon." Gippal was watching Amphion and his father, just visible around the corner of the curtain. "Dryd aqbmyehc dha bnitecr paryjeun." (That explains the prudish behavior.)

Rikku turned her foot and lightly kicked his side. "Oui pa hela, cmyja." (You be nice, slave.)

"Ahh, Rikku," Gippal moaned.

"Tuh'd drehg oui'na kaddehk cbaeleym dnaydsahd zicd lyica oui'na eh dra rucbedym. Hu frehehk!" (Don't think you're getting special treatment just cause you're in the hospital. No whining!)

Gippal grumbled, but he couldn't turn his head around and scowl at her. He settled for pinching her leg at his side.

"By the way, nice threads, Tidus," said Gippal.

Tidus brushed the back of his hand down his vest. "And you should know. Dryhgc."

"I would've expect the Assassin sphere to have a little more to it, though. He's quite an easy target," mentioned Nooj.

"Hah, as if anyone could get close enough to touch me in this," said Tidus cockily.

"And that's precisely the reason I gave it to him," said Gippal patronizingly.

"This is Leto, Father. He's the one who saved me," Amphion was saying loud enough for Leto in the next bed to hear.

"An Al Bhed?" asked Mathis, skeptically. Leto had been pretending not to watch Amphion and his father as well, wanting to give them privacy too. At the underlying distrust in the Chairman's voice, he felt the old resentments he had lived most of his life with sparking up again.

"I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him, Father," Amphion said firmly, knowing his father's old habits died hard.

Mathis expressionless face regarded the Al Bhed. The tension hung in the air for a long moment, then the ex-Chairman of New Yevon struck out his hand to the boy. "I owe you a deep gratitude, young sir."

Leto looked at the offered hand in amazement. Never would he have believed that this orthodox Yevonite would want to acknowledge a lowly Al Bhed worker. Leto took the hand and shook, a smile emerging from the bandages around his face.

"Ed fyc Gippal fru cyjat ic ymm. Oui sicd dryhg res duu." Leto pointed across the aisle to Gippal's bed. (It was Gippal who saved us all. You must thank him too.)

Mathis' gaze followed the pointed finger to Gippal, then went back to Leto in confusion.

"He's trying to say that Master Gippal was the one who led us to safety, Father," Amphion explained.

"You speak Al Bhed now?" his Father asked surprised.

"I'm learning a little," admitted Amphion. "There hasn't been much else to do the last few days."

Mathis stood and approached Gippal. The others stepped back, but hovered protectively over the injured man. Rikku slipped her hand onto Gippal's back in support.

"You are the leader of the Machine Faction, correct?" Mathis asked.

"Yes I am," said Gippal suspiciously. He was still wary of this man. After all, his existence alone stood against all the customs and traditions the Chairman valued deeply.

Both men studied each other, Mathis taking in the numerous bandages and the defensive positions the others had around Gippal. After everything that had been said about the Al Bhed for centuries, it was hard to reconcile that ferocious image with this incapacitated man. And besides, Mathis had always believed that a man's actions spoke louder than words.

"There is much I do not know about your kind," said Mathis, "but I am eternally in your debt for my son's life." Mathis held out his hand to Gippal.

The faction leader did not hesitate to take it. "I take it there is much we can learn from each other."

With acknowledging nods, both men conceded to tolerance. Acceptance by this man wasn't something Gippal needed, but it was still satisfactory that the peaceful gesture had been voluntarily given. He could respect the old man more for learning a few new tricks.

Gippal then motioned behind him. "Allow me to introduce Lady Rikku, daughter of General Cid."

The Chairman's curious eyes lifted to Rikku, who was still sprawled blatantly across the pillows. Rikku blushed deeply for being caught in so compromising a position by this orthodox Yevonite, especially if this was turning out to be his first impression of the Al Bhed.

She quickly rose to her knees behind Gippal's back and held out her own hand. "Pleased to meet you, sir," she said sweetly, hoping he would disregard her previous scandalous position. Gippal would pay later for turning the attention on her.

Mathis lifted Rikku's hand to his lips. "Princess," he said respectfully.

Rikku blushed even more. She set both hands on Gippal's shoulders and remained upright, trying to salvage her reputation. A princess would not return to laying on a man's pillow in open public.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Gippal's satisfied smirk.

'_Dra buubea-rayt!'_ He planned this humiliation! Ohhhh, Rikku was definitely going to get him back now.

Mathis attention however had turned to Yuna. "Lady Summoner, a pleasure to see you again," he said with a deep reverent bow.

Yuna felt her panic ramping up again. She had been distracted by the momentous occasion of the old Yevon reconciling with the young factions, and she still had not told Tidus about the-- she finally said the word-- engagement!

"I-I… Me too," she stammered, glancing up at Tidus to find him watching her curiously.

The sight of her terrified face put him on the alert. He wrapped an arm protectively around her waist and pulled her behind him, stepping one foot in front of her while the other hand went to the dagger at his belt. He faced the Chairman caustically.

'_Oh no! Now he thinks I think the Chairman is dangerous!'_ More terrified than ever, Yuna grabbed Tidus' arm and tried to see Mathis' reaction.

The ex-Chairman was holding up one hand as if to ward off the bad thoughts. "It is over and passed, my Lady. This man you have found seems to be more suited to you. I commend you on your wise choice."

Tidus now looked more confused than ever, but Yuna's knees almost buckled in relief. As she sagged against him, Tidus turned to tighten his grip on her. He looked down into her eyes, at a total loss of how to react.

Giving him a small smile, she patted his shoulder reassuringly. Maybe if she was lucky, he would forget about it and she wouldn't have to explain after all.

"Speaking of… Has he contacted you?" asked Amphion solemnly from behind Mathis. The Chairman's face fell and he turned back to his son, taking a seat on the side of his bed.

"I had hoped this tragedy would compel him to. And I tried so hard to find him when I thought you were…" Mathis trailed off and shook his head.

"So still, no news," Amphion said sadly, reaching for his father's hand to give any comfort he could. Mathis head fell and he pensively studied his son's hand joined with his, the relief of finding one son competing with the anxiety of losing another.

"Fryd'c rybbahat? Fryd ec ed?" asked Leto, who had been watching the entire time from his own bed and seeing their sad expressions. (What's happened? What is it?)

Amphion looked at Leto and started to speak, but then he turned instead to Yuna. "My older brother, Zethus, disappeared shortly before my father's resignation. We haven't heard anything from him for months."

"You're _older_ brother?" Yuna gasped, so shocked the breath squeezed out of her lungs. So it wasn't Amphion she was supposed to marry?

"Older by only a twelve minutes, my twin," Amphion explained.

"Fryd?" demanded Leto, annoyed at being left out of the conversation.

"Rec pbudran ec seccehk," Rikku said to him. (His brother is missing)

"Ahhh." He turned sympathetic eyes to Amphion, but his friend couldn't meet his gaze.

"Zethus never was satisfied with how the way things turned out for Yevon. He always wanted to become a summoner once he finished his priesthood. When Sin was destroyed, he… he was just lost. He didn't know what else to do with his life."

Mathis head snapped back up. "This is not something you should be sharing with others. This is a family matter. We can see to it."

"They might be able to help, Father," Amphion argued.

"Zethus is just having a reckless streak. He will wear himself out eventually and come home when he's ready. We just need to be here for him when he returns. This personal affair does not have to leave the family," Mathis replied.

"Tuh'd syddan drao fana ymsucd vysemo," Gippal muttered, earning him another punch to the side by Rikku. (Don't matter they were almost family)

"If that's the way you want it, sir, then we will leave it at that," Nooj remarked. "Come, let these boys rest and we can find something that requires our attention. Great men like us are always in constant demand to oversee or do something."

Mathis guffawed at the jest, but looked skeptically back to his son. "Go on, Father. I need a nap anyway. This is most excitement I've had in the last few days and it's drained me."

Mathis reached out a hand and squeezed Amphion's shoulder once more, then he turned to follow Nooj.

"Coming Tidus? 'Great men,' you know" Nooj asked teasingly.

Tidus rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah," he consented.

He needed to talk to someone about this 'great man' stuff. First the salutes at the prayer tent, and now he was expected to help out with whatever the 'old men' were doing, he wasn't sure he wanted this job. Or even if he could do it.

He grudgingly followed Nooj out, but he would rather have stayed and demanded Yuna explain the reason for all the little looks to Mathis and Amphion. He was definitely missing something there, but he figured he could get it out of her eventually.

Once they were gone, Rikku collapsed back into her previous stance, locking Gippal's sides between her knees playfully and acting nonchalant about it.

"So, he didn't seen that bad," she remarked, referring to Mathis. "But I can understand the whole 'he was trying to take too much power' thing better now."

"My father, he has always liked to have things in his control," Amphion admitted, stifling a yawn. "It's the reason why he doesn't like machina, he feels he can't control it the way you can a shoopuf or a sailboat. That's why it took him so long to get here from Guadosalm, that and he was trying to find Zethus."

"Zethus, ouin pnidran?" asked Leto, catching the feeling in that one word out of the others he didn't understand.

"Does that mean 'brother'? Yes, Zethus ran off with some other Yevon zealots," Amphion said.

"Is that what you think happened?" asked Yuna.

Amphion shrugged. "He had been spending time with some sketchy people. All dissatisfied with Yevon's treachery. But it's like my father said, he's likely to get sick of it soon. He's smart enough not to fall for the propaganda."

"He sounds like a decent man," Yuna said kindly.

"He is. You would've liked him, my lady," said Amphion.

Yuna blushed again and dropped her head. "Thank you for not saying anything to Tidus. I have not had the chance to discuss it with him yet."

"I figured as much, the way you were so jumpy before. But I agree with my father, Sir Tidus is a far better match for you than my brother could've ever been. You and Zethus are just not cut of the same material." Amphion offered her a smile. "I congratulate you on your engagement."

Yuna returned his smile with her thanks. Then exhaling deeply, she felt a giant weight being lifted off her shoulders.

"So Yuna, Shinra tells me Tidus claimed the Tsunami as your wedding gift," Gippal said after a moment of silence, changing the subject in hopes of giving Amphion a chance to nod off.

"The ship? I-I thought Shinra gave it…" Had Tidus presumptuously taken over the sky-yacht?

"Well, I wanted to give you the Whirlwind, but Rikku decided it was more suited to be my ship," responded Gippal.

"Ahem!" said Rikku, poking him in the back.

"I mean 'our ship,' " Gippal corrected himself.

"That's what I thought," Rikku mumbled, then turned a cheery face on Yuna. "Baralai and Paine got the Earthquake, and Nooj and Leblanc have the Fireball already. And they can hook together and share power and make their own little machina city. Isn't it just brilliant?"

Gippal looked prideful at the compliment.

"Shinra is a genius, isn't he?" Rikku finished.

Gippal's shoulders slumped. "Hey, I take offense to that!"

"Your ego can take it," said Rikku teasingly, tapping his head gently. Yuna was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

The pattering of feet had them all turning. "Gippal! Gippal! Another discovery!" cried Shinra, jumping up onto the bed.

"Well, speaking of the little devil," Gippal said with a jubilant smile.

In Shinra's hands was a glass jar. Yuna recognized the twisting green worn in the jar as the fighter-vines that had almost cost them their lives three days ago.

"The technorganic organism radiates a frequency identical to the commsphere waves. That was what was causing the blackout. And it regenerates back on itself, so it can grow enormous without the need of a resource supply like water or soil minerals. It could easily take over the entire world," said Shinra enthusiastically, holding the jar up reverently for them to see.

"But where did it come from?" Rikku asked impatiently. She had been listening to Shinra's updates on this techy-plant thing for the last two days, and even though Gippal and Shinra thought they were making progress, Rikku thought they weren't getting anywhere.

"Frequency waves," mused Gippal, ignoring Rikku's question. "Then that means the waves can be cancelled out by negative construction. Have you measured the amplitude yet?"

"Still processing," Shinra answered. "But this is the most remarkable substance I've ever come across."

"Hmm, there's still so much to test. And we still have to figure out how to defeat it," Gippal pondered out loud. Rikku could almost see the wheels turning in his head, and knew he was anxious to get back to his lab and start experimenting. The scent of discovery was enough to get him to disregard the dreary essential matters of life, like his own health.

Well, not if she had anything to say about it. He was going to get better first, whether he liked it or not, before he went tinkering around with killer plants and power tools.

"Excuse me, but why do you have Loor?" asked Amphion.

The four had all been watching the wriggling vine closely, but Amphion's voice made them all look up sharply, which was not a fortunate motion for Gippal since his head was still restrained by a neck brace. He winced in pain and Rikku moved her hands to his neck to gently massage the soreness, but Gippal was not distracted.

"You know what this is?" he asked in amazement.

"Well yes," replied Amphion. "Loor. It grows in the forests around Guadosalam. All Guado children are told to avoid it."

"But how is it kept in the forest? This crazy plant covered almost half of the ruined Bevelle in only a few days," Rikku remarked.

"I believe it has something to do with the stone barrier, or magical rocks. I've only heard the Guado myth once. Something about the ground coughing up a ring of stones to keep the Loor isolated and from eating the rest of the world. You could ask elder Tromell to tell you the whole story," he said.

"Then how did this Loor get from Guadosalam to Bevelle? It's not like it has seeds to be carried by wind or water," asked Shinra out loud, giving voice to their thoughts.

Before anyone could say anything, a booming roar had them all almost jumping out of their skins.

"FRYD YNA OUI CDEMM TUEHK RANA!?!" (What are you still doing here)

Everyone in the surrounding beds woke up. But by now, the patients had gotten used to General Cid's outcries whenever Princess Rikku was visiting the leader of the Machine faction. It had become more of a daily drama to them than a nuisance anymore.

After the initial startle, Rikku only rolled her eyes as her father descended upon them with more fury than a wet chocobo. Commander Zimmus followed close on his heels, vainly hoping to get his hysteric general out of the hospital where so many needed to rest.

"E'ja dumt oui ujan yht ujan, hu tyikran uv seha femm tecknyla rancamv eh cilr y lnita syhhan." Cid planted his feet apart and crossed his arms. "Yht oui ghuf ruf E ryda du nabayd socamv!"  
(I've told you over and over, no daughter of mine will disgrace herself in such a crude manner... And you know how I hate to repeat myself.)

Cid's menacing glare had Gippal struggling not to cower. It wasn't his fault that Rikku kept coming back, though he was very glad she did. He just wished Cid would understand Rikku wasn't a child anymore and allow him to court her properly.

And it wasn't like they were all alone with no one else around. And as Cid hadn't noticed, he wasn't exactly in the best shape either to do any disgracing, not that his condition would stop him if Rikku showed the slightest intent. As Rikku's slave, he only touched when she asked.

"Ruf ys E cibbucat du aqbmyeh ouin paryjeun du yho ehdanacdat ciedunc? Y bnuban myto fuimt hud ycculeyda fedruid dra ciedypma lrybanuhac, yht landyehmo fedruid y paddan cahca uv sutacdo!" Cid went on ranting.  
(How am I supposed to explain your behavior to any interested suitors? A proper lady would not associate without the suitable chaperones, and certainly without a better sense of modesty.)

It wasn't as if Gippal was right there in the room. And the only reason he hadn't asked Cid properly to see Rikku was because the man never stopped yelling long enough for him to get a word in.

And properly chaperoned? Yuna was here, as was Amphion, Leto, and a hundred other wounded men. Too many people in his opinion.

The shifting of the bed told Gippal that Rikku was untangling her limbs from behind him and standing up. Surely she was not leaving, was she? She always put up a hard fight when Cid came to scold them.

He wanted to reach for her hand and pull her back to the bed. They had to present a duo strong-front, one Cid would have no choice but to go through. But Rikku stood just out of his reach, her arms crossed and glaring silently back at her raving father.

Cid barely took any notice she had moved while he continued to shout. "Ouihk myto, nasuja ouin bancah vnus drec bmyla, pavuna E ryja du tu ed putemo! Yht tuh'd drehg E…"  
(Young lady, remove your person from this place before I have to do it bodily! And don't think I…)

While Cid was yelling, Rikku reached up and pulled at one end of her scarf. Defiance and distaste blazed in her green eyes while she let the scarf unwind from around her neck. Lifting it in front of her, she dropped it at her father's feet.

Cid didn't show any reaction, except beginning to scold her again for immodesty.

Rikku reached for one sleeve, her hard eyes never leaving her father's gaze. Slowly, her clenched knuckles slid the sleeve down her arm and peeled it off her hand. Pinching it between two fingers, she held it out to Cid for a moment, then let it drop.

She repeated the process with her other sleeve, rolling it down to her hand sinuously, but never averting her attention from Cid. Her friends could almost hear her temper boiling to bursting just beneath the surface.

Gippal stared aghast as Rikku stripped in front of her father, her lovely face rigid with more anger than he had ever seen. He did not like where this was going. There was no telling what Rikku might do if she was mad enough.

"Rikku, w-what do you think you're doing?" he finally sputtered.

"Crid ib, cmyja! Oui kad hu cyo eh drec," she snapped in a tone that warned him not to argue a word more. (Shut up, slave! You get no say in this.)

Cid quieted long enough to size up his daughter, daring her to go on.

This was more than simple disobedience of Cid's wishes, Rikku was finally taking a stand against her father. Demonstrating she was fully capable of making her own choices, and it seemed to be over Gippal.

While Gippal was humbled that she had finally chosen to assert control for his sake, he wished she would have chosen another method. He had truly hoped they would be alone when Rikku preformed her first strip-tease.

That realization made him take notice of the others still present. Yuna was gaping wide-eyed at her cousin. Her mouth opened and closed as if she wanted to object, but didn't know what to say. She did have the presence of mind to reach down and cover Shinra's eyes with her hands.

Gippal wished Yuna would say something, or throw herself in front of Rikku, because he noticed all the patients in the surrounding beds had begun to sit up straighter in their beds to watch. The happenings were getting more interesting by the second.

It sent a jolt of anger like nothing he had ever felt through him. Though it pained him to move his head too much, he engaged the gaze of every man and gave them his deadliest glare.

"If any of you desire to keep your eyes, you will peacefully go back to sleep and forget you ever saw anything," he growled in his most menacing tone.

A few men took him to heart and obeyed, and it only took a few more seconds of stare down before the others relented as well.

When Gippal turned back again, he saw that Rikku had finally managed to snare her father's attention by reaching for the ties of her top. She held up both strings with her hands, but one little slip and it would be too late.

"Vydran, E ys knufh ib huf. Yht ev drec ec fryd ed dygac du bnuja ed du oui, drah cu pa ed." (I am grown up now. And if this is what it takes to prove it to you, then so be it.)

Her hold on the strings slipped a little more. Cid's eyes were now the size of spheres as he realized Rikku was serious. She would seriously do it if it meant proving a point.

"Oui taletac fryd rybbahc haqd. E cdyo rana fedr Gippal, un I pakeh luhjehlehk oui du mayja ic ymuha."  
(You decide what happens next. I stay here with Gippal, or I begin convincing you to leave us alone.)

Gippal was sweating profusely now. He only hoped Cid could see past his own anger before he forced Rikku to do something they would all regret.

Cid stared hard at his daughter, both of their stubborn attitudes clashing in bouts of lightening, neither wanting to surrender to the other.

Rikku would not relent however, this was too important to her. Gippal was too important to her. If Cid didn't allow it, then she would become the slut he obviously thought she already was and drop the strings.

Finally Cid spit out several Al Bhed curses, turning his head away. Rikku smiled triumphantly, knowing those frustrated curses were as good as an admission of defeat. She tied the strings of her top securely back in place. Then she set her hands on her hips and waited for what he would say next.

Cid stamped the floor with his foot a few times and let out more curses. He looked back at Rikku, and she raised an eyebrow questioningly, but cursed again and instead turned on Gippal. He stomped over to Gippal and glared down at him, trying to put the fear of death into him.

He was only partially successful.

"Ev oui duilr-" (If you touch-)

"Oui femm lid uid so udran aoa yht lrub uvv so ryhtc. Timmo hudat, Kahanym," Gippal finished for him with a small salute. (You will cut out my other eye and chop of my hands. Dully noted, General.)

Cid's eyes flashed anger at his audacity, but Gippal wasn't finished yet. "E ycg bansecceuh du luind ouin tyikrdan." (I ask permission to court your daughter)

"Oui tuh'd haat rec bansecceuh, oui ryja _so_ bansecceuh," Rikku argued. Neither man broke their locked gazes to acknowledge her. (You don't need his permission, you have _my_ permission)

Cid bit out another curse, then turned on his heel and marched away. As he stomped by Rikku, he muttered something that sounded like "Veha."

Rikku watched him go, her back to them all. Zimmus regarded her long and hard before shaking his head, a little disappointed in her handling of the situation. Then he turned and followed Cid out.

As soon as they were gone, Rikku turned around and smiled slightly. "Pops finally gave in," she said triumphantly.

Yuna was still gaping at her like a fish. Shinra managed to push her hands away. "Wow, Rikku. That was some bunch of brash," the kid said, awestruck.

Gippal, meanwhile, now looked like the one about to burst. He stared at Rikku hotly.

"Yuna, take Shinra and leave us, please."

"Oh, of-of course, Gippal," said Yuna quickly, sensing his mood probably matched Cid's right now.

She hustled Shinra out. Cid would object to them being left alone after such an incident had just occurred, but she knew Gippal needed to vent at Rikku for his own reasons. She would scold Rikku herself later.

It was quiet as Gippal continued to stare at Rikku after they left. Rikku had always hated awkward silences, but not as much as she hated the expression on Gippal's face right now.

"Lusa rana." (Come here)

Rikku crossed, uncrossed, and recrossed her arms, fidgeting nervously. "E tet fryd E dyt du tu, Gippal," she sounded a lot less sure than when she had addressed Cid. (I did what I had to do)

"Lusa rana," he repeated.

Rikku reached down to the ground for her things and placed them on the nightstand. Then finding nothing else to stall the inevitable, she stepped within his reach with averted eyes to the ceiling.

She could handle his anger. If anything, he owed her. She could always give up her enslavement-authority over him if he demanded compensation. It depended how angry he was with her.

Then again, he had humiliated her before in front of the ex-Chairman, but she had dishonored him in front of her father. This wasn't going to be good.

Gippal grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly closer to him, forcing her to look into his single eye filled with anger and hurt. His grip was forceful, she couldn't break it, but it wasn't painful to her. His gaze was though, helplessly freezing her in place.

"Hajan tu dryd ykyeh, Rikku," he said in soft heavy tones, well aware of the eavesdroppers still all around them. His good arm went around her bare back and pulled her even closer so he was looking directly up at her. (Never do that again)

"Oui yna seha, yht E tuh'd cryna so dnaycinac fedr yhouha," he said fiercely, restraint making harsh angles in the planes of his face. (You are mine, and I don't share my treasures with anyone.)

While her heart lurched at the thought of being called his treasure, she realized how much damage her actions had caused him as well.

"E's cunno, Gippal. Pid ghuf E fuimt tu yhodrehk du pa fedr oui," she replied just as quietly and seriously. (I'm sorry. But know that I would do anything to be with you)

Her hand reached up and smoothed the band of the new eye-patch. Her poor wounded warrior. It hurt her to cause him pain when he had already suffered so much, but the altnerative of parting from him would've been so much worse.

Gippal gave a disgruntled growl and reached up behind her head to pull her down for a punishing kiss, determined to mark her as his own even if she didn't quite understand that yet.

"I'm tired. I need a nap before Shinra comes back," he said off-handedly, ending the conversation abruptly. He pulled her down with him to the pillows again, as if it was foregone fact she would rest with him.

Rikku didn't object, however. He didn't want to give their audience any more of a show. If they went to sleep, maybe the others would too.

She snuggled contently into his side, relieved he had let her off easily. In hindsight, she realized maybe threatening to flash her dad wasn't the greatest of ideas, but there was little else she could have done to get Cid to listen to her.

Sure the other men had gotten a small peep-show, but she got this moment right here. And it's all she ever wanted.

(A/N: WAAAYYY too much Al Bhed, whew. And I have to stop ended scenes with Rippal cuddling)

Meanwhile, at the Common Area of Camp

Tidus felt the weight of hundreds of pairs of eyes. If the walk to the hospital had been bad, this was ten times worse.

"Mevyn Nooj!" called a voice from the crowd. Yaibal pushed through and quickly saluted. "Sir, I-I fear a riot is about to break out," he gasped. "Please, you must all come at once."

Yaibal turned and took off again into the crowd. Tidus ran after him, but the limping Nooj and elderly Mathis could not follow as quickly.

As Tidus trailed after Yaibal, the atmosphere seemed to get tenser and tenser. The heavy silence hung like a thick fog over the common area, and it was giving Tidus the willies. It reminded him too much of walking through the freaky vine forest the other day, right before it tried to kill him.

Low murmurs came from the scattered groups of people, who hushed suspiciously if you looked directly at them, so you weren't sure if you had ever heard anything or if it was just a trick of the wind or mind. That alone was enough to drive anyone to crazed paranioa.

The whispers were accompanied by the accusing looks and hateful glares that passed between assorted groups and strolling individuals. It made the air almost too dense to breathe. It was like walking along a mine field, waiting for an unexpected eruption at any second.

And, seriously, it was pissing Tidus off.

Killer weeds were one thing, but discriminating people holding a grudge was another pest altogether.

He could see them blaming each other with those lethal looks, and it made him want to shake them all by the shoulders. Tell each one of them to come to their blasted senses.

Did they really believe anyone without a death wish would heap this kind of destruction upon a world that had known so precarious a domestic existence? When Sin destroyed every city at least once a decade, no one in their right mind could want to purposely do the same.

Never had he felt more like screaming in frustration. Which did not give him the clear head he needed when Yaibal led him to a gathered crowd.

"Oh, this could get ugly," said the worried Yaibal. "The crowd has grown so big."

Tidus huffed in response and elbowed his way into the disgruntled crowd. At the center, a ring had gathered around two posses. So far, both gangs were only cracking knuckles and calling jaunts to each other, but they seemed ready to carry out their threats.

"You were just waiting us to lower our guards so you could stab us in the back!"

"As if anyone would be stupid enough to attack your pitiful hides in broad daylight!"

'_Oh, this is just great,' _thought Tidus, patronizingly_. "It won't be long before they started shoving and throwing punches like hormonal pre-teens_."

'_Yep. There they go._' One of the big honchos pushed against a Youth League member who had been invading his space. The crowd called out in objection. The pushee shoved the pusher back.

"What the blitz is going on here?!" demanded Tidus in a loud voice before the third push. A hush fell over everyone as he stepped between the two would-be fighters.

He crossed his arms and first stared down first one side of the group, then turned and glared at the opposition. They seemed to be mostly divided into New Yevon supporters and Youth League members. But no, that wasn't completely true. Some Al Bhed and Leblanc syndicate were scattered amongst both sides.

'_So it's not exactly the same old argument, but old habits die hard,'_ he mused.

"Wait, let me guess," he said sarcastically. "It's New Yevon's fault Bevelle is a pile of rocks."

He turned back to the other side. "And the Youth League is responsible for the attack. That about it?"

"Only the Youth League has the technology to destroy a city this size!" someone in the New Yevon crowd called out.

"This was obviously an attack against the New Yevon interpretation of the old ways. The Youth League would not belittle itself with petty leadership squabbles," came a voice on the other side of the crowd.

"Who else would want to destroy the seat of Yevon than the disbelievers?!" another voice shouted.

There were grumbles of agreement on both ends, the crowd splitting up into two halves and ramping up in volume. Everyone began throwing accusations and insults at one another.

"Oh, gimme a break!" Tidus shouted, throwing his hands up into the air. Before he could say anything more though, Nooj and Mathis arrived on one side of the amassed spectators.

"The culprit has returned the scene of the crime!" a voice said, drawing the crowd's attention to the pair.

"The Chairman wants to usurp the Praetor. He ordered this attack so he could be the leader of Yevon again!"

Mathis visibly blanched, but it was with outrage of the accusation. "What utter rubbish!" he cried, but his hostile tone only seemed to anger the mob more.

"The Mevyn is the criminal! He has always opposed the ways of Yevon. He wasn't even here for the attack!"

"New Yevon was never good enough for him!"

As the charges were hurtled against the two men, the crowd started pressing closer and closer, blocking off any means for escape. Some moved towards them menacingly, others tried to intercept the threats to their respective leaders.

"I will not tolerate any insults against the faction of Yevon," Nooj said sternly, but he was beginning to sweat as the crowd became more threatening. "The Youth League and New Yevon are allies."

"He will say anything to protect himself!"

"Defend the Mevyn!"

"You cowards will punish an old man?!"

"It's his fault my sisters are dead!"

Tidus pushed his way to Nooj and Mathis, placing himself between them and the surging crowd.

"I've had enough of this!" he cried, drawing focus to himself. "After all that has happened, you seriously think more fighting is going to solve anything? For goodness sake! Listen to yourselves!"

He drew a deep breath and addressed the whole assembly. "Pointing fingers does nothing put split us up! If blaming an old man or an old enemy makes you feel better about yourself, then think about everyone who has died this week. How would they feel knowing their deaths threw Spira into a civil war?"

He paused to let them consider it. Walking among them and staring them all in the eye, he let his words sink in. "No one here wanted this! Everyone has suffered: Yevonites, Youth League, Al Bhed, Ronso, Hypello, Guado… They were all here as representatives this week. Think about it! This was some enemy hoping to take advantage of the diplomacy meetings. Some coward who couldn't face us dead on is trying to separate us. He wants to make us weak!"

A hush fell over them all as they listened to his words. If it hadn't been Sir Tidus, who they all held in the highest regard, his clarity and logic would not have penetrated their thick heads. But he was their hero, who selflessly sacrificed himself for others and cherished their beloved high summoner with his every breath.

"The ex-Chairman Mathis is here because his son almost died in the attack too. More than one of you know exactly how that feels, and even less of you know how relieved he is that his son was found alive."

In the middle of the crowd, he spun in a circle with a pointed finger, involving the individual people instead of just a senseless mob. "This is not the time to be gaining up on one another. We all have a common enemy to track down and annihilate. But right now, we have to team up and help each other here, instead of stupid recess fights!"

It was working. Tidus was beginning to turn the mob. They heard what he was saying and it made sense, his plain words were making their vengeful thoughts seem petty and worthless. While straining to hear his next words, they sheepishly looked at each other in shame.

Tidus picked out the two men that had pushed each other before. "Sirs, who are you here looking for?" he asked them.

Both men shuffled their feet, still eyeing each other suspiciously. "My older brothers are missing," one finally admitted.

"My cousin's family lived here," the other said after another pause.

"See? You both have lost somebody important. And instead of blaming each other, you should be taking out your anger on the real bad guys," Tidus said.

"Who are they?" one happened to ask.

"As soon as the bastard demands our surrender, we'll tell you where to find him and let you pulverize his weasley guts out," said Tidus cheerfully again.

He lifted up one fist. "If that bastard thinks he'll get away with this, he's got another thing coming to him."

There were aggressive nods of agreement all around. If they needed to focus their anger and pain on someone, it seemed to be a lot easier on some faceless enemy that wanted to destroy all of Spira.

"But first, we need to see to the hurt and the homeless," Tidus reminded them. "We can't let nameless terrorists have any victory over our Bevelle friends. Come on everyone, I'm sure there are things you all need to be doing."

He tried to get people moving away, his charming smile having a positive effect on them all.

"We will let everyone know what we know when we know it. Move along, nothing to see here anymore," he said, repeating what Nooj had said earlier. The crowd slowly began to depart.

"That's my boy. I trained you well," said Nooj quietly, coming up behind him and clapping him on the back.

"I have to admit, those are some good lines to get people to do what you want," Tidus said softly to him so the people wouldn't hear.

"It's all about public relations, son," said Mathis at Nooj's side. He motioned forward a group of women that remained unmoving nearby.

"These ladies look like they need to ask something important," said Mathis as the women hesitantly approached.

"Lord Mathis, I seek your guidance. My son is missing," one woman said hopelessly, falling to her knees in front of the ex-Chairman. He knelt down to comfort her.

"Mevyn Nooj." Another young group men had approached. "Would the mechanical weeds the Summoner and Guardian fought the other day have anything to do with the attack on Bevelle?"

"Should we be preparing for war?"

Tidus blanched at that suggestion and looked up at Nooj. "Get used to it, High Guardian," he whispered to Tidus with a shoulder nudge. "These are the type of everyday issues all leaders have to deal with."

As the crowd dispersed, people who had been insulting each other before were suddenly apologizing, clapping one another on the back and shaking hands all around. Sir Tidus' speech seemed to have made all their suspicions and new hatreds disappear.

The new topic of discussion amongst them was whoever could be behind the attack. As Sir Tidus had logically pointed out, most of the leaders of Spira had been in Bevelle when it was attacked. No one would kill their own leaders and others unless they were hoping to fill the power vacuum. What group was that power-hungry?

And how did the Loor weeds fit into the situation? Everyone had heard of the battle between with the deadly Loor forest that had left the High Summoner incapacitated for three days. The attack of the electric plants was too close to the Bevelle attack to be a simple coincidence.

Then of course, there was the congressional agreement that Sir Tidus was perhaps the greatest leader of all time. He had a way of making them all think clearly when before they had been so sure they were right. He was blunt, but in a good way, and he had a way of making himself understood.

Not to mention, he was brave and clever and handsome and engaged to Summoner Yuna.

From one direction of this dissipating tranquil crowd, came the High Summoner herself. She had seen Shelinda walking quickly away from this area, scribbling fiercely on her notepad, and was determined to find out what the reporter had been up to.

Yuna looked around at all the gathered people around the same place, wondering what had happened that had brought them all together in this one location. And why they were throwing glowing smiles at her. She knew those smiles, too. They were the type Tidus always seemed to be giving to people.

She wondered where he could have gone. She looked around for him, but there were too many people in the way to see far in any direction. Lifting her hand to her mouth, she let out a high-pitched whistle.

The nearby people all looked curiously at her.

"Hesh over there, Mish Yoona," said a passing Hypello.

From the direction he pointed came a responding shrill whistle. "Thanks," Yuna called over her shoulder as she moved that way.

Mathis, Nooj, and Tidus were still surrounded by several people asking questions about the situation. The three were doing their best to reassure the suspicious and frightened people. Mathis had a large group surrounding him, and he was eagerly responding to their troubled inquiries.

Tidus was watching for her as she came closer and spotted her instantly. He motioned her forward, holding out a hand for her. The people parted and let her through, reverently watching her walk to his side and take his arm.

She looked up at him with a questioning face. "Tidus, what's going on?"

He took her hand and lifted it to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of her knuckles and giving her a warm smile.

"Just a little bit of diplomacy, baby. Playing 'great important men' with Nooj, preventing civil war in Spira. You know, the usual."

"Huh?"

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her puzzled brow. "I'll tell you about it later, but right now, we have a bubble bath to get back to."

Two hundred and one and a half miles away (A/N: lol, seemed like a good enough number)

The secretary finished writing down the dialogue from the transmission. Stretching her cramped fingers, she leaned back in her chair. These highly classified reports always came directly to her, their information too important for the regular routes of command. It annoyed Twyla to have to do the trivial work any other intern could do, but she was not about to complain about doing her part.

It wasn't even the greatest of news: the small objectives had not been accomplished, but at least there was a little bit of good news. It was enough to assure her their mission had been blessed.

Twyla turned off the commsphere. Then she rose and carried the completed report into the General's office beside her own. Not finding him there, she went into the small workroom behind desk.

"The final reports have come in, Sir," she told the young man at the long table. It was littered with spare parts and screws, the untidiness a contrast to the pristine desk in the other room.

These machines were forbidden, but when the enemy would use the sacrilegious weapons against them, it was only logical to fight fire with fire. After their objective was accomplished, all the dreadful machines would be destroyed and peace would reign again.

The general glanced up from the dismantled blaster he was tinkering with. His youthful face was very handsome, and she knew from personally witnessing his training exercises he was as every bit the strong and capable warrior those muscles hinted he was. Only his determination matched the amount of his strength, demanding the respect and admiration of anyone he met.

He left the gun and wiped his hands on a rag before he took the file from his secretary.

"Summarize for me," he said absently as he opened the first page.

"The city was demolished; nothing remains of the tainted Palace of Bevelle or Temple of Bahamut. The casualties were extremely high and the morale has sunken lower than it had two months ago when New Yevon and the Youth League were ready to eradicate each other. Fights and threats have already broken out in multiple areas all over Spira," Twyla recited.

"Good, good," the General murmured as he scanned the contents of the report, his brow wrinkled the way it always did when he concentrated. He would go over it in more depth later, but if there was anything of particular significance, he had to let their Lord know promptly.

Twyla knew what the general was looking for. "None of the Faction Five were among the casualties. The newspapers' report was accurate: they all survived."

The general looked up sharply. "They _all_ survived?" he asked for emphasis.

"The Machine Faction leader has been hospitalized, but is reported stable." Then Twyla's voice softened, "And yes, Lady Yuna lives. She and Sir Tidus were apparently not even in Bevelle that day."

"Did the High Guardian suspect? Was he tipped off?"

"It doesn't appear so. It was his unexpected whim to return to the Beseid Island and allow Lady Yuna to recover."

"Recover? Why? How is her health?"

"There has been nothing to suggest she is not in excellent condition, but I will have our agents look into it. It would be tragic if anything happened to her."

"My thoughts exactly," responded the General, turning to pack away his tools. "I would not want to be the one to tell the Lord the woman he loves had survived Bevelle only to perish of disease or fatigue."

Twyla relaxed her formal pose. "Sir, if I could speak plainly. I could have our agents bring the High Summoner to our Lord by tomorrow. This is the worst cruelty to keep them apart now that she has a chance at a normal, full life."

The general looked back at Twyla and shook his head. "There is nothing we can do while Sir Tidus watches her every step, my dear."

Twyla made a face at the mention of the hated name. "This is not fair, that scoundrel should not be allowed to keep Lady Yuna captive like this. There's no telling what he has forced her say or do. He doesn't even deserve the title of High Guardian."

The general trusted Twyla, otherwise he would not have allowed her to speak out so emotionally. Many nights had been spent awake with the two of them going over plans and discussing the Lord's future vision. Twyla anticipated the general's every move and thought, sometimes before he did, a feature he found positively appealing.

"While we know the true character of the criminal and psychopath he is, the rest of Spira follows him blindly. It is essential to separate them before we rescue the Lady from his manipulations."

Twyla threw two hands into the air. "Why couldn't he and the rest of the Faction leaders have died instead of all those countless sacrificed?"

"Innocent victims always fall under a righteous crusade. The only thing we can do to honor their memory is succeed," replied the general.

Twyla knew this, had heard him repeat it many times to the troops and families of the soldiers they had here under their protection. But still, it was difficult to accept the harassment the noble Lady Yuna, the savior of all Spira, suffered by the hand of the atrocious Sir Tidus.

She hadn't noticed the general had stepped so close to her until she felt his fingers lifting her lowered chin. He gave her a small, dimple-filled smile. "It will all be over soon, Twyla. She is a tough lady, she will survive his harsh handling."

Twyla's breath caught as the general's confident gaze tempted her to fall into their deaths, but she stopped herself and briskly stepped away to shake herself back to awareness.

"Will you be bringing this news to the Lord?" she asked to distract him. She hoped he would, it would give her time to regain her composure.

"Yes, I believe I will. He could use some good news." The general took the file and walked out the door to his office. Twyla followed behind him and stopped at her desk, watching him continue down the hall.

He glanced back once, found her staring after him, and smiled again. Twyla blushed deeply and tried to go back to work, but all she could think about were those dimples.

The general walked through a double set of doors into a grand room with stylish furniture and thickly embroidered rugs under a high ceiling. The ancient castle had recently finished its renovations, and the Lord had quickly claimed the former solar as his new office.

The general spotted his Lord under the eave of a window, reading some of the initial reports of a few days ago.

"Lord Fargo," announced the general and bowing slightly.

The great man looked up from his papers. "Yes?"

"I have brought you the updated report, Sir." The general lifted the folder. "The final transmission was just taken, and our scouts have informed me the next phase of the operation is underway."

Lord Fargo stood and grabbed the file from the general. "We have already wasted enough time. I want this stage at full operation yesterday. It has the crucial crux that will assure our success," he said while walking back to his desk.

"Have you made any headway with the Guado? They could be helpful allies during this operation," asked Lord Fargo.

"I'm afraid not. There has been no scent of unrest or disproval. They are set in their new ways and want only to change that which they have always known."

"Fools," muttered Lord Fargo, but the general could tell he was distressed by the news. Lord Fargo was a Guado himself. When he was young, he and his mother had been shamed and banished because of the powerful position his father held. Since he was already married to another woman, his father wanted nothing to do with his mistress and her son. Lord Fargo's younger brother had been given the title that was rightfully his, and he had been labeled a lawless child with no father to claim him.

That Lord Fargo had not become resentful and bitter was a miracle. He had survived nearly three decades on his wits and determination alone, never losing his hopes and dreams for a united Spira. It showed the purity of his character and his worthiness to rule the new Spira.

"There is a bit of good tidings, my Lord. Lady Yuna survived," said the general, waiting to see his stoic Lord show a bit of mortality.

He was not disappointed. Lord Fargo paused in reaching for his pen and looked heavenward. "Thanks be to Yevon her life was spared," he whispered. "It would've been tragic if she died, but we would have pressed on no matter what. Her living is proof that what we are doing is what our forefathers would have wanted for us."

Lord Fargo turned away for a moment, seeming to collect himself. The general pretended not to notice. Their Lord was always so driven and focused, constantly working and keeping the dream of a better Spira alive, he barely had time for his own personal emotions.

But everyone at the castle knew of the secret love affair between Lord Fargo and Lady Yuna. They had been childhood sweethearts in their younger days, when he lived for a summer on Besaid Island. Their pure and innocent love, budding during the long and lazy days, had ended up with a live-long promise to marry someday. But as she was a noblewoman and he was an outcast, there was no hope of a future between them.

According to the rumors, Lord Fargo had to leave the island after his time spent there or he risked being found by his father, who had always been ashamed of his existence. The farewell between the young lovers had been so painful, Lady Yuna had decided to become a summoner and devote her life to Yevon like her father. If she couldn't be with the one she loved, she would give up her life, but she would give it for the people of Spira. She cared for them as much as Fargo, a truly noble gesture to die for them.

When Lord Fargo had heard of her plans to sacrifice herself for Spira, he had thrown himself into the studies of Yevon too, wanting to support her even from afar. He had spent the last ten years preaching the word of Yevon, and gathering wisdom from the many peoples he met while journeying all over Spira.

But Sin had been defeated by the Lady Yuna, and it had been the greatest of happiness that Lord Fargo rejoiced. After that nasty business between his brother, Fargo believed they had been given their chance at last. They were finally free to be with one another, brought together by the union of Yevon's faith, for hadn't deliverance of Sin come from repentance at long last.

However, it had not been so.

The lunatics that claimed Yu Yevon was a traitor and a liar had been credited for their blasphemy, going so far as to say Lady Yuna herself believed Yevon's ways were wrong. Suddenly, all the old ways, the ageless beliefs and traditions were being called ludicrous and insensible.

Unfortunately, Lady Yuna had been spirited away back to her island home by her oppressive guardians, keeping her from the horrendous happenings that uprooted the traditions they had all been raised to honor. For three years, the chaos of the aetheists and Al Bhed had ruled Spira.

The general clenched his fists. He too had been in the middle of all the slander and blasphemy, listening to the impulsive young extremists who would do away with everything they had always held dear. They divided up the chain of command into factions, leaving small groups of weak people following their false beliefs.

Didn't they know that strength came through unity? It was only a united Spira, under one rule, that would bring about the greatest era of peace ever known.

Lord Fargo had brought all the true believers together. He told them everything, convinced them of the only true way to live in Spira. And he had sheltered them all in this place, a castle hidden within a large forest, away from all the propaganda the rest of Spira was receiving.

Without Sin, the world was living in sin, forsaking their beliefs and disrupting the balance of the natural order. Sin might be gone, but it could come back if they remained on this sacrilegious new path. They were finally free of Sin's destruction, they couldn't allow it to bring its havoc again.

Lord Fargo would unite Spira again under the Yevon beliefs. And everyone knew he hoped to have the Lady Yuna at his side when that joyous day came.

"Sir Thatch, come forth," Lord Fargo suddenly said, breaking the silence and the general's thoughts.

The general spun around and saw the man who had been concealed since the moment he walked in. The General didn't particularly like Thatch, the man had a way of making anyone watch their back whenever they knew he was near. However, it was near impossible to know he was present unless he wanted you to see him.

The bounty hunter had become Lord Fargo's body guard. The man always had knives, chains and poison darts on his person, and those were only the weapons he let you see. The word was he had once been an assassin for hire and had spent time in every prison cell in Spira. He certainly wasn't someone the general wanted to meet on a dark night. He still didn't understand why Lord Fargo trusted him.

"So your former bride made it through your firework display. It must make you very happy."

The general scowled at him. "Lady Yuna is Spira's greatest treasure. Even a criminal like you has to value her for saving us from Sin."

Thatch brushed away his comment with a wave of his hand. "I was doing well avoiding Sin on my own, I don't owe anything to a girl willing to jump in front of a swinging sword."

The general's anger spiked, no one spoke about the High Summoner like that.

"Enough Thatch," came Lord Fargo's voice. Warning underlined the two words, but the Lord was far too gracious to get angry over insults.

"We must discuss the nuisance Sir Tidus has become," Lord Fargo continued.

"Sir, that idiot couldn't find his hands if you tied them in front of his face. He's hardly a threat," said the general, still needing to vent some irritation.

"Despite what gossip you hear in the marketplace, general, Sir Tidus is an applicable opponent," sneered Thatch.

"He's nothing but a cowardly bully hiding Lady Yuna from the rest of the world like he was her jailor," said the general hotly.

"Silence," commanded Lord Fargo. "Sir Tidus is no fool, and he has a keen power of persuasion. He is already reversing our progress. The people are beginning to look to him for guidance. Look at these."

Lord Fargo threw several newspaper articles onto the desk. The general picked them up to read, but Fargo swiped them out of his hand.

" 'Sir Tidus helps trapped victims.' 'Sir Tidus makes plans to rebuild Bevelle bigger and better.' 'Sir Tidus single-handedly defeats forest of robots.' 'Sir Tidus stops the stirrings of a civil war.' " Fargo threw each clipping to the floor as he read them, coming to the last and gripping it tightly.

" 'Sir Tidus announces engagement to Lady Yuna.' " He threw it to the floor and ripped it with the heel of his squashing boot.

"How could one man be in so many places at once?! How do they really expect their readers to believe this hogwash?" demanded the general, irritated all over again. This man was obviously a fraud, and he was using the newspapers to increase his credibility. It was disgusting.

"Precisely," said Lord Fargo. "He is taking over command. Soon not even the Faction leaders will be able to check him. He will lead legions against our cause if we are not careful."

"And what are your plans for him?" ask Thatch smugly, as if he didn't already know. He was already rubbing his hands together in ruthless anticipation.

"He must be eliminated," said their Lord. "But I need Thatch here. So I must leave this duty to you, general, and your men. With Sir Tidus in charge, he would use every last child in Spira to fight for his domination."

"Don't worry my lord. Every soldier here would love nothing better than to run Sir Tidus through. I shall spread the order among the ranks to kill Sir Tidus on sight. Once we come out in the open, they will race to the honor of serving you his head on a silver platter," said the general confidently.

Lord Fargo nodded contently. "Have the men prepare themselves. We will teach these infidels what happens when you forsake the word of Yevon."

"Agreed, my lord."

"You are dismissed, General Zethus."

Zethus saluted and left the room.

* * *

**Duh, dum, dum! So who is this mysterious Lord that the lost Zethus serves? And what is the next stage of their plans? And did everyone get the idea that the Lord Fargo is isolating his follwers and feeding them his own propoganda? I'm not sure I got that idea completely across. Hypocritical, isn't it?**

**And Tidus is giving out orders in that authoritative voice... actually he's just pissed off. But still, it's so hot! **

**I've discovered, thanks to wiki, that it's supposed to be Chairman Trema. Hmm, well I could go back and change it all, but what a wimpy name. I'll stick with Chairman Mathis. Sorry critics.**

**About Commander Zimmus vs. General Zethus, I just realized it wasn't a great choice. But I found this great legend about twins, Amphion and Zethus (protected by Leto no less), and the names were too cool to pass up. BTW, this fic is not a rewrite of the legend, its all mine. **

**So here's my challenge to the readers (besides leaving a constructive review): Try typing out your favorite poem, quote, or song lyrics in Al Bhed. I've left you all enough translations to make a key. What's really weird is you fingers start to automatically go to the letter on the keyboard to encript. Now you will know what I'm going through. **

**Because seriously, you lose all the emotion and meaning when you try to write Al Bhed scenes and you have to wait until the end of the paragraph to find out what they are reacting to.**

**You all get extra big hugs for that false expectation with my apology update and just because I find you all extremely special for keeping me going with this story. I might actually finish one for once! **

**P.S. Just in case you're wondering, this is over 150 pages in a Word document. And the next chapter might be up before the end of November! (Hopefully)**

**Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!**


	6. Chapter 6 New Weapons

**Okay, so it was actually a week after the end of November that it took me to write this. Well, better late than never!**

**I uploaded this quickly, before I edited it, so there are probably lots of mistakes. I'll fix it eventually, but right now I'm hoping the notifications will go out if I add the next chapter since eveyone seems to have missed the last one. If you haven't met Mathis yet, go back one chapter. That guy was fun to write.**

**Now like I said, these plot lines were supposed to go in the last chapter, but I couldn't fit it in. And this chappy was supposed to be short, but... Curse my perfectionism! I can't help but develop scenes and characters. The only scene I really wanted to write was the last fluff scene, but then I started watching sailor moon and had to add a little more fluff to it.**

**Oh, and be ready for the curve ball when it sneaks up! heehee**

**But I got so bored with this chappy. At least now I can start on my first exciting battle scene coming up. And I say first because this story is going to end up being longer than I thought. Like Lord-of-the-Rings long. Ye-ah, I know. I won't finish until I'm thirty at this rate.**

**The new length is the reason I revamped the first chapters. I apoligize for the confusion. But it's still the same story, only three chapters in one and so on.**

**Well, here we go again.**

**Square made this brillant game, I only dream about it.**

* * *

"Kimarhi, come in. This is Yuna." The commsphere continued to give nothing but static. "Ronso of Mount Gagazet, please respond!" Still nothing.

Yuna looked up anxiously at Baralai. "Now, I'm worried. They haven't responded in over a week."

"I'm afraid it is worst than that," said Nooj, walking onto the bridge of the Earthquake. Baralai and Paine's new sky-ship was so similar to Yuna's and Nooj's ships that none of them ever lost their way around each other's ship.

"It seems every scout sent out to patrol the Calm Lands, Mount Gagazet, or Zanarkand has been reported missing for the last three days. And I don't think they all stopped to play field games on the plains."

"For three days? How did that go unnoticed?" asked Baralai.

Nooj shrugged. "Everyone's been so busy with everything here in Bevelle, patrol reports have gotten pushed to the bottom of the priority list. So far five scouts in all are missing in action."

"I don't like this. Especially, considering what happened last time a scout team didn't come back," said Yuna. She still had bruises from the Loor vine whips.

"Were they able to report anything back before they went missing?" asked Baralai.

"No, and all attempts at rescue missions and retrieval have left me with more missing soldiers."

"Scouts going missing, no communication between any of those areas… I'd say something is definitely happening out there," said Yuna. "We have to find out what, but… cautiously is the main idea here."

"Commander Lucil recommended sending out a few of the former Chocobo Knights. I think it is a good idea. If anyone can find out information, it will be Lucil," said Nooj.

"And meanwhile, I think we should begin sending people away to their friends or relatives' homes. It makes me uneasy to have them all defenseless here in Bevelle," said Baralai.

"But I thought you said there was a highly unlikely chance of them attacking Bevelle again, Nooj," exclaimed Yuna.

"Yes, but it would be safer to move all these civilians out of the way in case whatever is affecting the Calm Lands gets this far inland," responded Nooj.

"You think it could be Loor again? That caused the commsphere malfunction before."

"I would say there is a good chance it could be the Loor. If it got to Bevelle from Guadosalam, it could have gone as far as the Calm Lands and Mount Gagazet."

Over Yuna's shoulder, Baralai and Nooj shared meaningful looks. They had both been soldiers in the Crimson Squad together. They could both sense the foreboding threat of an upcoming battle, no matter how much they wanted to deny it.

"What? What is it?" asked Yuna, sensing the heavy mood between the two men.

They remained silent, glancing at her and continuing to speak to each other nonverbally. It wouldn't do for them to needlessly upset the High Summoner if their premonitions turned out to be untrue.

Paine walked onto the bridge and Yuna turned to her. "Paine, make them tell me what they are saying with their eyes," she pouted.

Paine raised her eyebrows at Yuna. "Whining, now?"

"Only when they insist on keeping secrets," Yuna said.

Paine looked from Baralai to Nooj, their expressions speaking volumes to her. "They are being overly prepared and protective, waiting to see what happens before they give out any orders," she said simply.

Walking over to sit the pilot's seat-- _her_ seat-- Paine leaned back and scrutinized the three of them. A slightly bemused expression on her face as she pinned Nooj with her gaze. "Tell me, does Cid know about this mission you are not planning yet?" she asked.

Nooj returned her stare. Dr. P had hit the heart of the issue right on the nail, and she knew it. They would need the Al Bhed technology and weapons if matters were about to get a lot worse, but asking Cid for help was going to be a delicate task.

Cid had been in a perpetual bad mood all week, barely talking to anyone. According the rumors going around the camp, Rikku had been caught kissing another man who was not Gippal, and it had broken Cid's heart.

But who could trust gossip? Anyone who knew the couple personally knew they would murder the other if they ever caught them even looking at other people.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," said Paine, swiveling around in her chair and checking several readouts from the ship's computer.

"By the way, Yuna, Tidus told me to ask you to meet him over on the Whirlwind when you get a chance," called Paine over her shoulder.

"So that's where Gippal and Shinra escaped to," said Rikku, her head poking through the doorway to the bridge.

"Come on, Yunie. I got a few skulls to crack." Rikku spun around and disappeared down the corridor.

"You better go, Yuna. I can barely trust those two together anymore without fearing for public safety," said Nooj dryly.

"Not to mention how fast we would lose Al Bhed support when Cid finally has that mental breakdown he's been nursing," added Baralai.

"Ok, ok, I'll go baby-sit them already," said Yuna cynically, walking out after Rikku.

"I swear, how would you guys deal with these things if I wasn't around?" she murmured.

Whirlwind Bridge

"And once the wavelength of the frequency radiation was calculated, it was simply a matter of matching the amplitude in a negative plane."

"Does Rikku know you're here?"

Tidus watched as Gippal spun his wheelchair around, single-handedly, and whirled between the three tables set up on the cleared space of the bridge. His bad arm was in a sling on his lap, and it was taking him four times as long to set up his machines because he used the same hand to steer the chair and reach for the different wires and tools.

Tidus would have offered to help, but the last time he had tried to handle the mechanical inventions in Djose, Gippal had forbidden him from ever touching his workbench ever again. The electrical burn scars on Tidus' hands served as a keen reminder of that lesson.

It might be taking Gippal longer to present his demonstration, but he was too ecstatic about his success to be frustrated with his incapability.

Gippal reached for the intercom button that buzzed in the laboratory two floors down on the ship. "Shinra! Ruf'c dryd nabnaccan kahanydun lusehk ymuhk?" (How's that repressor generator coming along?)

"Tecluhhaldat yht uh edc fyo ib. Cu ec dra lryen," came back Shinra's voice. (Disconnected and on its way up. So is the chair.)

"Kahanydun vencd," Gippal snapped, and ended the link. (Generator first)

He grabbed one wheel of the wheelchair and gave it rough push forward, then quickly switched sides and pushed the other wheel, making a zig-zaggy path to the next table.

"Seriously man, maybe you should take it easy," suggested Tidus uneasily. "Rikku will kill you if you push yourself too far."

'_Not to mention _me_ for allowing it,'_ thought Tidus. He would never admit it to anyone else, but an angry Rikku or Paine was something he never wanted coming after him. Either of those two would be a worse lioness than even Yuna.

"The distributed power over the field would evenly affect all cinnuihtehk amadnelym tajelac fedruid tecdinpehk uid uoh…" Gippal continued to ramble on, switching to his own language as his thoughts spilled out. (…surrounding electrical devices without disturbing our own…)

"Tidus, plug in this extension cord," he suddenly said, holding up a cord and indicating the outlet behind two pilot chairs. The moment Tidus took it, Gippal turned back to his work.

Tidus shook his head, figuring it was pointless to keep attempting to talk to the computer geek while he was in his zone. Seeing as how the poor guy had been bedridden for almost two weeks though, Tidus supposed he could give Gippal a little room to enjoy being back in his inventive atmosphere again.

The only reason they weren't down in the ship's laboratory was because it wasn't wheelchair accessible, an aspect Gippal had given up cursing an hour ago. Instead, they had spent the morning moving all required equipment to the bridge instead.

The situation just screamed trouble, and normally Tidus would be putting himself as far away from this potential disaster as possible before they were caught by a certain irritated Al Bhed princess. The only reason he stuck around was because he was afraid of leaving Gippal alone in a room filled with dangerous equipment. While he should still be recovering in the hospital, he was zipping around on a rickety chair. The only thing worse would be if Rikku discovered Gippal after another accident and found out Tidus might have been able to prevent it.

Not to mention Tidus would never forgive himself for knowingly letting such a tragedy happen. Gippal's determination to this project was evidenced in the way he had stolen a wheelchair and snuck out of the hospital after Rikku had left him this morning.

Tidus might not be able to convince him to go back to the hospital, but at least he could be there when Gippal fell out of his chair, or down the stairs, or some other freak accident. And from the way he was hurrying around the room, an accident seemed inevitable.

"Hey Tidus, help me with this," Shinra called from the doorway that led down the laboratory. The kid was struggling under a huge and apparently very heavy box.

Tidus rushed over and lifted the box from the kid's hands, stumbling slightly under the weight. "Whoa, this thing weighs a ton! Where are Cytol and Matrik? They should be lifting this stuff."

"They are bringing up the other heavy stuff," said Shinra cheerfully, skipping away to help Gippal, leaving Tidus heaving the large box. From down the staircase to the lab, Tidus could hear the grunts and Al Bhed curses that told him the two brutes were suffering from the same malady as he.

Tidus hefted the box over to a table and dropped it with a thunk.

"Careful with that! It's delicate equipment," scolded Shinra, pulling apart the sides of the box and pulling out the oddly shaped machine within.

Gippal rolled over and began hooking wires up to the generator. "You said this worked, right?" he asked Shinra.

"It worked last night."

"The fields can't be too strong or they can short-out vital human EEG waves and heart neuroelectricity."

"I followed your directions precisely," responded Shinra, dropping to his knees and crawling under the table to plug the generator into another outlet.

Gippal opened another box that had been lying on the table and reverently pulled out three bronze orbs from velvet padding. He took several clips and hooked them onto the orbs' rounded sides.

"Oh, almost forgot the guest of honor," said Shinra, popping up from under the table. He ran for the stairs and disappeared down them. More Al Bhed curses followed in intensified volume as the kid dodged around Cytol and Matrik.

"What exactly is supposed to happen?" asked Tidus.

"Haven't you been listening to anything I've said?" said Gippal impatiently. "We can disable the Loor with destructive interference, no wasting time on fire or lightening. Quite handy if that wicked stuff turns up again."

He finished attaching wires to the orbs just as Shinra returned with a large glass bowl of Loor. The sample inside was the size of a blitzball and it was thrashing about roughly, having grown too large for its container.

"That's how big it's gotten?" asked Tidus dubiously. Why would they let it get so large when it was so obviously dangerous?

"No, this is only a cut off sample. We have more growing downstairs for experimentation," said Shinra off-handedly. He was busy placing the bowl in the center of the large orbs on the table.

"Pulsaters ready?" asked Gippal.

Shinra linked a few more cords. "All set," he announced, coming around the table to stand next to the generator.

"Step over there, Tidus. You're gonna wanna see this," said Shinra, his fingers punching a few buttons on the keypad of the generator.

"Now the pulsators," he pointed to the bronze orbs surrounding the bowl of Loor, "will give off a radiation frequency that will disrupt the electrical charges in the Loor. It will kill the mechanical signals and the minor organic fluxes."

Gippal wheeled himself over to the other side of the table. "Go ahead, Shinra. Show time!"

"Charging pulsators." Shinra pulled a small lever down and the bronze orbs began to hum.

"Initiating radiation," said Shinra excitedly, his hand hitting a large red button.

Tidus watched closely as the violently thrashing Loor vines suddenly began to shudder. They wilted and shrunk, crumpling into a pile of drooping grey vines and dust.

"Incredible!" cried Tidus, slamming his hands down on the table. He fell in a heap to the floor as Shinra pushed the button that silenced the orbs.

For a moment, the other two just stared at him in surprise. On his knees, Tidus stared at his hands, not exactly sure what had just happened to get him on the floor.

"Uhh…"

Shinra suddenly burst out laughing. "Oh Spira! I knew you were clumsy, but you totally missed the table!" The confounded look on Tidus' face made him laugh harder. He grabbed the side of the table for support.

"Hey, you okay?" asked Gippal as he wheeled around the table to see Tidus sprawled on the floor.

Gippal started snickering too, glancing over at Shinra's doubled over form. "He was too stunned by our demonstration to watch where his hands were going!"

Tidus looked up at the two of them, and his mortified expression had them bursting out in yet another fit of laughter. Skeptically, Tidus smiled too. He slowly got to his feet, embarrassment coloring his ears pink.

"Well, yeah... You guys really got me," he chuckled, rubbing one hand behind his neck.

Had he really just pitched forward and humiliated himself in front of these computer geeks?

Apparently so.

Some 'great man' of Spira he was turning out to be. He couldn't even keep his feet under him.

But he could have sworn he was less than a foot away from the table. Even staring so intently at the Loor, how could he have missed landing his hands upon it?

He looked down at his hands. If it weren't for the black gauntlets, he would have had welts on his palms from landing on the Whirlwind's metal floor. He could feel the bruises rising beneath his gloves which meant he had come down hard, but they were minor welts and would be forgotten by tonight.

He wished he could say the same about his lost pride.

"So I guess you really liked our presentation," said Gippal, wiping his eyes in mirth. "Shinra really did a good job."

"Y-Yeah, he did," acknowledged Tidus.

For some reason, that fall was bugging him, like something nagging at his mind. The table had been _right_ under his hands, he was sure of it. Something didn't feel right about it, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was.

Shinra was still laughing, "T-Thanks," he gasped. "B-But… it really wasn't-" He broke off, clutching his sides and leaning over the table to keep from sliding to the floor himself. "I-I'm sorry,… Tidus… b-but… what a klutz!"

The kid was beside himself in hysterics. "Oh, come on, Shinra, enough. Leave a guy a little dignity," said Tidus annoyed.

"S-s-sor… Cunno!" he gasped.

Okay, so the kid was laughing at his expense, but that wasn't really the big thing bothering Tidus. There was something important here. Something he should pay attention to.

What _was_ it?

It had almost been like… But no, that was impossible. There was no way _that_ had happened.

Tidus cleared his throat, refusing to even to think such a ridiculous idea. "So you can take out a small bit of Loor, is it possible to extend these pulsing thingamajigs over bigger distances?"

"O-Of course. You just need to ramp up the power," said Shinra, taking a few deep breaths and trying to get a hold of his laughter.

"And we can definitely make more of them," Gippal said. Unplugging one orb and tossing it in his palm. It was only the size of a sphere, but it was solid color and didn't glow or sparkle.

"With a few more adaptations, we can make these babies wireless."

The generator on the table suddenly sparked, making the three of them jump.

"Tyssed! The thing shorted out again!" exclaimed Shinra, stepping up and trying to push a few buttons. "That's what you get for packing the cheapest portable generator."

"There's another one in the lab, right?" asked Gippal.

"Of course. I only brought this one up because you were in such a rush to see the procedure," replied Shinra, giving the metal generator a frustrated hit.

"OW! Ow, ow, ow. That hurt!" he exclaimed and nursed the injured hand.

It was now Tidus' turn to chuckle, watching Shinra shake out the pain.

"Gippal! Fa kud ouin pmycdat lryen," came a cry from the back of the room. Turning, the three of them saw Cytol and Matrik had finally made it up the flight of stairs with their load. (We got your blasted chair!)

Between the two workers was a high-tech looking chair with a rounded base.

"Ypuid desa," said Gippal, zig-zagging his way over to the doorway with his one hand. Shinra came up behind him and pushed him the rest of the distance, his own hand already forgotten. (about time)

"Ev ed'c cibbucat du pa y vmoehk lryen, fro tet fa ryja du lynno ed ib rana!?" grumbled Matrik. He was sweating from the ordeal. (If it's supposed to be a flying chair, why did we have to carry it up here?)

"Oui luimt ryja dinhat ed uh," said Shinra, parking Gippal's wheelchair as close to the new chair as possible. "Ramb res kad ehdu ed." (You could have turned it on. Help him get into it.)

"E tuh'd haat ramb," protested Gippal, trying to lift himself up with one arm, but he couldn't support himself on his two busted legs. (I don't need help)

"Lusa uh, Gippal," said Cytol, reaching beneath Gippal's arms to lift him up. (Come on)

Matrik took his other side and they maneuvered him the short distance to the upgraded chair. Carefully, they lowered him onto the plush cushion. Gippal wore a sour expression the whole time, disgusted at being at the mercy of the two brutes.

"Dryhgc. Now that that's over, let's get down to the lab already," said Gippal.

He hit a few buttons on the control pad in the chair's armrest. The chair made a whirling sound and trembled slightly. Slowly, it rose several inches in the air. Gippal smiled, satisfied with the performance of this new invention, even if it had been meant for handicapped people.

"GIPPAL!"

"Uh-oh."

"Bust-ed."

Rikku was standing in the doorway of the bridge's main entrance, her arms crossed and an irritated expression on her face. Yuna stood behind her, taking in the situation. It was obvious the two girls had been watching for awhile.

"Fryd yna oui tuehk uid uv dra rucbedym? Hu uha lmaydat oui oad," Rikku scolded in a very superior voice. (What are you doing out of the hospital?! No one cleared you yet!)

"Rikku, just on time. Shinra has figured out an easier way to defeat the Loor," said Gippal cheerfully. "Last one to the lab is a rotten shoopuff egg."

With a few button combinations on the keypad, he turned the hover chair and descended the stairs leading to the lab.

"Fa zicd pnuikrd dryd suhcdan drehk ib rana," whined Matrik, watching the chair glide smoothly over the steps. (We just brought that monster thing up here.)

"Lusa uh, fa'na uid uv rana." He said to Cytol, who was also scowling at Gippal's retreating figure. The two thugs walked off the bridge. (Come on, we're out of here.)

"Tuh'd nih yfyo vnus sa!" Rikku called, running down the stairs after Gippal. (Don't run away from me!)

"Careful Rikku, these are steep stairs," cried Shinra. He grabbed the bronze orbs off the table and followed her. "And we don't have an extra chair if you stumble and break your legs too!"

Yuna stopped in the middle of the room, shaking her head helplessly at the antics unfolding before her. "Is it all Al Bhed or just me? Because it's one catastrophe after another with them," she huffed, exasperated.

When there was no response, she turned to look at Tidus. He was staring down at his hand with a pensive expression.

"Hey? Helloooo?" Yuna waved a hand in front of his face. "Spira to Tidus, come in."

He glanced up at her. "Huh? What?"

"What's 'what'? Is something wrong?" she asked curiously.

"Um, no, nothing's wrong." He hid his hand behind his back and smiled a little too brightly.

"Okay, if you say so," said Yuna whateverly. (A/N: my little brother came up with that adverb) "Then come help me babysit those two accident-prone kids."

She turned and walked for the staircase, expecting him to follow. When she didn't hear his trailing footsteps, she looked back and she saw him watching her, a longing expression on his handsome features.

"Okay, seriously, what is it?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Tell me so we can solve the problem and get onto the next one."

"N-Nothing. It's nothing," Tidus repeated, springing into step and walking passed her. "Come on, you have to see what Gippal and Shinra have done. It's quite amazing."

"_Amazing_, is it? I doubt anything they made in two weeks could really be that fantastic," she concluded.

"It amazed me," he said back. "Made me hit the floor in shock."

"'Hit the floor?' You mean you actually fell over," Yuna giggled. "Wow, I never knew you to be such a klutz."

And that was the crux of it, wasn't it? He knew he wasn't, and it was part of what kept bothering him.

What he really thought had happened... but he couldn't say that to Yuna, didn't dare voice his suspicions aloud when she was walking right there beside him. She was too... she was... his fiancée, his love, his Yuna...

He glanced down superstitiously at his hands again as they descended the steps, flexing his fingers a few times. They seemed solid, and normal. There was no way it could have happened. There was no reason to be worried. It was just his mind playing tricks.

He knew there was no way his hands could have passed through that table.

The idea had been growing his mind, and exploded to the forefront of his thoughts, leaving a dreadful bile taste in his mouth. Just thinking it sent dreadful shivers through his body, making his legs feel like jelly and his next breath painful to his lungs.

He was deathly afraid that was _exactly_ what had happened.

And what did that mean? Was he fading again? Had the Fayth brought back their dream just to tire of it and want to let it go again? Did this mean his time in Spira was limited?

Tidus glanced over at Yuna, calmly walking by his side. She was so beautiful. And so happy right now, thinking her only problem was keeping Rikku and Gippal out of trouble. How was he supposed to tell her that? When she had been through so much already, he couldn't give her more reason to worry.

He wouldn't burden her with this terrifying prospect, he could barely handle the horrible possibility himself. Besides, the strange malady seemed to have passed.

It was a one-time thing. No biggie. No reason to worry over it. Just forget it. If anything, he would remember it as one of his less-than-gracious moments.

All of this passed through his mind in the ten seconds it took to descend the stairs to the lab.

They walked into the long, white room that Gippal had made into his portable work station. Glints of metal, glowing energy fields, and jerking half-made machina could be seen everywhere. Lining the walls were piles of spare parts and workbenches, most had yet to be used.

Tidus and Yuna turned their heads from side to side, not knowing where to look first.

Several tables in the middle contained different contraptions and half finished machines, some of them sparking ominously. Metal gears and links clinked and whirled sporadically among them.

"Wow, how come we don't have a lab on our ship?" asked Yuna as she took in the impressive state-of-the-art equipment and pristine polish of the floors.

"I believe the space is used as a training area and spare bedrooms. We must be the ship that provides the hospitality to anyone seeking shelter," said Tidus, momentarily distracted by the remarkable tools and gadgets lining the tables.

"What do you think that one does?" He pointed to a tool that looked like a double ice-cream scooper. Yuna shrugged.

"Yuna, come over here. You gotta see this," said Shinra's voice over the lab's loudspeaker. The three Al Bhed were barely visible behind all the equipment and far in the back of the large room. Shinra and Gippal were hooking the bronze orbs up with wires again while Rikku hovered over them and continued to scold them in Al Bhed.

Yuna moved off in that direction. Tidus had already seen the demonstration and was more interested in investigating the rest of the strange appliances in the lab. The blue glowing box looked particularly interesting, so did pocket knife that seemed to hold different sizes of nail clippers instead of blades.

'_There's no way they really have a use for every one of these gizmos,'_ he thought, reaching to examine one of the multiple modified screwdrivers.

His hand froze halfway there, a horrible realization interrupting his curious intention: he still had not touched anything since falling through the table.

Not Yuna, not the stair railing... He had walked down the stairs simply enough, but he had also walked off the airship three years ago.

He looked at his hand again. It wasn't fading or anything, not like it had when the Fayth had disappeared, taking his existence with them. They had said he would be with Yuna as long as she loved him. Or at least that was what was implied.

But what if something was wrong?

What would happen if he reached out right now and tried to grip that double ice-cream scooper? Would his hand pass through it like it had with the table? Like Yuna had when she tried to stop him from jumping off the airship?

His eyes strayed across the room, drawn to the group crowded around the table at the back of the room, locking onto Yuna as if she cast a magnetic pull over his gaze. She was watching Shinra activate the generator, her lovely blue and green eyes following his hand movements, and then rolling in exasperation at something he told her.

And suddenly, Tidus was more nervous than he had ever been before.

He turned back to the tool lying innocently on the table before him, trying to muster the courage to touch it.

Yuna glanced up for a moment, thinking she had felt Tidus' eyes watching her from across the room. But his back was turned to her. He was still looking at the oddly shaped tools.

"Now watch the Loor closely," said Shinra, drawing her attention back to him.

"We charge the pulsators," he pulled a lever, "and then let them radiate the cancelling waves." He pushed a red button and the bronze orbs started humming. The Loor inside the jar began to shrivel and die.

"See!" cried Shinra excitedly.

"But what good will that do us? We can hardly run extension cords outside to a cluster of attacking branches," said Rikku. She held up the bundle of wires attached to the bronze pulsators.

"Once we refigure the pulsator composition, we can give it enough power to radiate waves for decades. Wireless and conveniently storable in your sphere carrier for the modern sphere hunter with her on-the-go lifestyle," said Gippal mockingly.

"Oui'na bicrehk ouin milg, bym," Rikku threatened, shaking one finger at him. (You're pushing your luck, pal)

Gippal actually caught that waving finger and used it to pull her closer, cracking her knuckle in the process.

"Ow!" she protested. He didn't notice. The success of the pulsators had put him in a very happy mood. With a mischievous smile, he pulled her bottom onto the armrest of his new hover-chair.

"Now, all we need is a durable alloy that can maintain the electrical current," said Gippal, maneuvering his chair around the table. Rikku had to grab the back of the chair to keep from falling off.

"Any ideas, Shinra?"

"Well, we could always use that experimental metal Nhadala found last month," the kid said, pushing the button that turned off the pulsators' energy field.

The moment he pushed it, an alarm buzzing sounded in warning behind them. Turning, they all saw two red glowing boxes on the back table suddenly start to shake violently and turn yellow.

"Oh no. Take cover, everyone!" cried Shinra as the two boxes suddenly exploded into thousands of pyreflies. "Don't let them touch you!"

When Shinra said anything in that tone, it was important you listened. The others jumped away as the loosed pyreflies went crazy, streaking through the air in every direction in erratic spirals.

Yuna ducked under a table as a bunch of pyreflies flew at her face. Rikku had been roughly pushed under the same table by Gippal, who was currently driving his chair in swivels to avoid the pyreflies.

The area quickly took on an appearance similar to the Farplane, pyreflies thickly choking the air and buzzing wildly. However, these weren't the regular lazy lights Yuna was used to seeing. These shot about quickly like shooting stars and didn't disappear.

"Shinra, what the heck happened?!" cried Yuna. Some pyreflies had flown downward and the girls had to scramble from under the table to elude them.

The kid had run to the side of the room and was busy searching through several drawers. "We contain pyreflies with the same frequency field the pulsators generate. Loor and pyreflies give off the same semi-living pitch. It's why we were able to get the pulsators working so quickly. We already had the technology."

Shinra saw two zipping lights coming at him and quickly sprang away, right into Yuna's arms in fact. She rolled them both out of the way. "The containment fields must have deactivated when I broke the fields of the pulsators. And pyreflies don't take lightly to captivity," he finished.

"Why do you have pyreflies in the lab, anyway!?" demanded Rikku. She was trying to work her way over to Gippal, but had to keep dodging pyreflies that randomly changed their flight direction in less than a second and came at her.

"Trying to tap their energy. Why else?" said Shinra. He returned to the shelves along the wall. "Gippal, where did we put the ion rods?" he called.

"Stored them with the magnetic beamers. I think they're in bin thirty-one," called Gippal. He was busy using his chair to dodge some aggressive pyreflies. Rikku finally made her way to Gippal's side and pushed the hovering chair away from the nasty swarm.

"Don't worry, Rikku. This sort of thing happens at least once a week in Djose. It's always something or another that goes on the fritz," said Gippal with a grin. He was apparently enjoying all this excitement, which was more fun than he had seen in two weeks.

Rikku scowled at him, jumping on the chair and pushing off again to avoid more pyreflies. "We will talk about this later. Yikes! How many of these guys did you have in those boxes?!"

"Great, I have to get all the way back to bin thirty-one," Shinra mumbled. He and Yuna were still dodging the pyreflies on the other side of the table.

"Shinra look! What are they doing?" Yuna pointed to another table where a large swarm of pyreflies were gathering around several cylinder shaped objects. The pyreflies floated into one of the thick rods. A second later, the hand-held object glowed yellow and jerkily rose into the air.

"Amazing!" said Shinra, too awestruck to be concerned with the surrounding pyreflies. Yuna grabbed the kid by the sleeve and pulled him out of the way of one flying right for his arm.

"Gippal, look!" Shinra cried. "It's the missiles we found in the Omega Ruins."

Gippal turned to see the small hovering missile slowly begin to inch forward. Another missile absorbed pyreflies and rose as well. "Uh, this might not be a good thing!"

Suddenly, both missiles took off and started darting around as insanely as the pyreflies.

Yuna dropped to the floor as one whizzed over her head. "Are those things loaded?!" she called to either Gippal or Shinra.

"No, but one would knock you out if it hit you," called Gippal.

Yuna made it back to her feet and found Shinra standing still, watching the little rockets zip around the room. "Incredible… ingenious… that's why the label said to insert moonlilies, to attract pyreflies."

"Shinra, watch out for the pyreflies!" Yuna cried, but now that she looked around, she saw that a lot of the little lights had finally vanished. They were fading into the floor and walls, going on their merry way at last. Their resentment to their captors must have been vented.

"The ancients already knew how to use pyrefly energy. They never had to charge the missile or waste electrical power navigating it, they let the pyreflies do all the work," Shinra continued to marvel.

One missile came down at his head and the kid had to duck. "But how did they steer them?" he asked as if he were critiquing instead of hiding from them.

"How do we _stop_ them?!" demanded Rikku. As if to answer her own question, she lifted a long rod-like tool and held it like a baseball bat, then she watched both missiles closely as they flew around their heads.

"No, Rikku! Don't break them! Think of the possibilities we can learn from them," cried Shinra in terror.

"And think of the possible ways they can hurt _us_!" Rikku cried back, taking a swing at one of the missiles and missing by an inch.

"Let me get the ion rods! They're used to capture the pyreflies!" Shinra said quickly, anxiously watching Rikku line up her strike again. He turned to run to the storage room in back, but was stopped short by a rocket cutting in front of his path.

Yuna watched the rockets keenly, ready to duck at any moment. One suddenly veered toward the entrance and took off. Her eyes followed its path, and ran right into Tidus' armor-clad back.

For some reason, he had not heard the commotion on the other side of the lab. He was still examining some tool on the table before him, reaching to pick it up. Completely oblivious to what was going on behind him.

But the missile was fast approaching its target--_him!--_ and not turning or slowly down at all.

"Tidus! Look out!" she screamed in panic, her fear for him sending adrenaline throughout her body.

It all happened in slow motion for her. His head lifted and began to turn toward the sound of her voice. The rocket picked up speed, and there was no way he would react in time to avoid a collision. Yuna's mind jumped ahead to the part where it smashed his nose into his face.

'_NOOOOO!'_ Her mind screamed. Her hand lifted as if to deny the rocket that destination.

She could only watch as the rocket ran into his face… and stopped just short of touching the tip of his nose.

Tidus' eyes crossed as he stared at the large metal capsule that had been hurtling toward his head a second before. He jumped back quickly as the rocket moved again, turning up and back looping, racing directly for Yuna's outstretched hand.

"Yuna!" Tidus cried, running down the aisles of the table toward her.

She saw the rocket approaching and threw her hand up in the air as she ducked down again. The missile seemed to follow her hand's direction, flying up toward the ceiling before circling down again.

Gippal, who had watched with amazement, immediately comprehended the connections. "Yuna! Try sending your thoughts to the pyreflies again," he shouted.

"What? What are you talking about?" she yelled back, rolling along the floor as the rocket made a dive for her.

"You're a summoner, aren't you?! You can control the pyreflies!"

"I'm a former summoner!" she shouted back, but realizing he had a point all the same. Didn't she used to use her mind and emotions to guide the pyreflies of human spirits to their final resting place on the Farplane?

Glancing up at the whirling rocket, she thought at it to set itself down on the table peacefully.

The rocket stuttered, but didn't come down.

"What are these things?" cried Tidus. He leapt over the last table between him and Yuna, then ran to the table she was hiding under. Drawing a sword, he spread his arms and took a defensive position with Yuna at his back, watching the flying missiles careen above their heads.

Just having Tidus near gave Yuna the encouragement to try controlling the rockets again. She felt confident he would protect her, but also prompted to stop them before Tidus was almost hit in the head again.

She concentrated on remembering her training. Skills that had gotten rusty over the last few years were slightly recalled. Yuna tried to put herself in the same mind-frame she used to use when she was performing a sending.

"Set down," she commanded firmly to the zooming rockets, using a slow hand gesture downward for emphasis.

Both missiles suddenly stopped where they were. Gently, they sunk to the ground, matching the same speed as Yuna's lowering hand.

One landed only a few feet from Yuna's crouched form. Tidus quickly stepped forward and put himself between the little rocket and Yuna so she was looking at it from between his ankles.

"Good job, Yunie! It's working," cried Rikku, hugging Gippal.

"Stay," Yuna said firmly, feeling more confident in her ability to command the possessed rockets. She crawled from under the table and scrambled to her feet, keeping her hand in its low position the whole time just for safety.

Except they didn't stay, the pyreflies within the rockets slowly dissipated and flew away. Some dissolved into the ship's hull, some flew upward, but a large amount slowly came toward Yuna.

"Keep back, Yuna," said Tidus, still maintaining his protective stance in front of her as the little lights crawled forward in a swarm. Everyone in the room tensed, watching the lights warily and not making any sudden movements, waiting for whatever the pyreflies did next.

"Don't let them touch you," Yuna whispered to Tidus, slowly reaching for his shoulder to pull him back. The pyreflies were inching too close.

Slowly, the malicious pyreflies stopped encroaching, as if hesitating about what to do. Everyone held their breath in anticipation, hoping they would all fly away if they held still a few minutes longer.

"Got the ion rods!" shouted Shinra, suddenly appearing and holding two long metal sticks with sparking ends.

Like startled bumble bees, the pyreflies suddenly shot forward, away from the outstretched ion rods, and rushing right for Yuna. Tidus threw himself in front of her, and the pyreflies flew inside his body.

"Tidus!"

He jerked upright at the forced entry, his limbs stiffening and a small cry escaping his lips. Then his sword fell from his hand as he slumped over.

Yuna hurried to him, anxiety making her forget her own safety from the pyreflies. Tidus had fallen to his knees and was quietly holding his head. Before she could touch him, however, he stood straight up and walked over to a tool bench.

"We will need the philly's screwdriver," he said softly, reaching for a tool on the workbench. Then, in mid-stride, he stopped abruptly and his head snapped to his right.

"How many times have I told you to watch the internal temperature?! The boss will not be happy with this!" he said in an angry tone, stomping to the right and shaking a fist at another tool bench.

"Tidus? Tidus, what's going on?" asked Yuna worriedly, going after him. His eyes had become a dull blue color and were unfocused on the room before him. He didn't seem to hear her or feel the hand she tapped on his shoulder.

"The shipment will be ready by the end of the week. Wonderful," he said. His mood had changed again. With a proud grin, he stood with hands on his hips and looked as if he were approving something unseen in front of him.

"Shinra! What's happened to him?" demanded Yuna, fully concerned now about Tidus' newly developed multiple personalities.

"The pyreflies seem to have taken on the emotions and memories of the last people in the area, like the Djose workers. The thoughts must have taken over his mind, just like Shuyin did in the Den of Woe," guessed Shinra.

"How is that possible? We've been around pyreflies before and they've never acted like this!" said Rikku, also watching Tidus walk in circles with panicked eyes.

"I'm just a kid," he said.

Frustrated, Yuna looked away from Shinra and back to Tidus. She approached him slowly and held up her hands hesitantly. "Hey, Tidus, baby? Can you hear me?"

Tidus suddenly sat down on the floor. Leaning back on his hands, he closed his eyes. "Stop worrying, alrighty? The boss will never catch us back here. We could catch a few winks," he said with a yawn.

Even more concerned, Yuna knelt beside him. "Tidus, this isn't real. Focus, baby. You have to-"

"Tell me this is another drill!" he cried, suddenly looking around and quickly getting to his feet. "If someone pulled that alarm on purpose again, I'll sucker punch the little punk!"

"Wait, Tidus-!"

He took off running down the lab, but didn't get five steps before he stopped again. Turning to his side, he calmly walked along the tables. "Where did you go and put those new bolts?" he called over his shoulder to an invisible coworker.

"Ruf fuhtanvim, he's lost his marbles," remarked Gippal, watching Tidus mimic his workers.

"Well, do something! Ramb rus!" demanded Rikku. (help him)

She glared accusingly over at Shinra. "No 'I'm-just-a-kid' excuse. Fix him. Use those stick thingies!"

Shinra looked down at the ion rods he held. "We've never used them on a human before. There's no telling what they might do."

He glanced over at Tidus idly spouting nonsense. "We might have to just wait until the pyreflies leave and he comes out of it."

"But that could take hours!" Rikku objected.

Yuna was watching Tidus with sorrowful eyes, following his mindless gestures and listening to his rambling. He ignored her words and didn't respond to her touch. His personalities switched every few seconds, especially whenever she tried something, so there was little she could do.

It was more distressing than she would have realized. He was here, but he wasn't with her.

"Tidus?" she said tentatively. He disregarded her and walked off to examine some other invisible object with his lightless eyes.

The man she loved had been replaced by the haphazard memories of working mechanics, had become some ghost doing meaningless tasks. Of all the tragic and appalling things that could happen, his life was being threatened by the outrageous possibility of him cutting himself on one of Gippal's tools.

Nothing she did was waking him up from the trance. She felt helpless, and that irritated her the most. She couldn't just stand by and let him act ridiculous like this.

But what was she supposed to do?

Her head snapped up. _'Remove the pyreflies, of course. Somehow. Without sending his spirit away in the process.' _

It was very risky to try sending a living person. To her knowledge, it had never been done, because a human spirit readily dissolved into pyreflies if a summoner even gave the slightest pull at the spirit energy. The prodecure had to be so precise, and one little slip up could cost Tidus his life.

But still, she had to try. She had to make him listen to her, and keep him here at the same time.

Slowly she approached him again. He was kneeling and seemed to be tinkering with an imaginary machine. She was a step away when he rose and spun around.

"Tidus-"

"Fa haat suna tild dyba," he said, trying to step around her. Yuna put her hands out and stopped him, holding onto the sides of his vest desperately. (We need more duct tape)

"Please, Tidus. Come back," she whispered to him. With vigorous determination, she focused on her own emotions, recalling physical energy needing perform a sending, and diving into the mental setting required for the arduous task. Slowly, she felt herself linking with the spirits of the pyreflies fluttering under his skin.

Just to help, she imagined the sending dance in her head. The twirling and spinning steps she had memorized and preformed countless times before came back to her easily.

But this time, instead of bluntly sending all the lighted spirits, she focused only on the rouge pyreflies alone within the body, and leaving the ones that made up his spirit undisturbed. It was delicate work, but her mind accepted this as the most important sending ever preformed.

'_Please let this work,' _she prayed.

He had gone still, not interrupting her with anymore useless blabber, but his eyes remained unseeing on some spot beyond the top of her head. It seemed to be working, but just barely.

She closed her own eyes to concentrate harder, pushing at the solid barrier of his chest, trying to banish the pyreflies from his body.

They couldn't have him, she wouldn't allow it. Tidus was hers, and she wouldn't let him be consumed by angry pyreflies.

"The pyreflies may be controlling your mind, but I have your heart," she whispered to him, hoping he could hear her in his dreamlike state.

Her forehead fell forward, her eyes squeezing together in focus and trying to fight the extreme effort it was taking to concentrate. Her weariness meant nothing. She wouldn't give up, she just couldn't.

Pressed against her nose was his Abes necklace, the metal warmed from his bare skin and smelling like his unique sea breeze and sweat scent. Her hands curled even tighter around the vest they gripped. Under the necklace and his bare chest, she could feel his heartbeat.

It was a heart that beat in time with hers, and to the rhythm of her love for him.

She wasn't loosing that heartbeat to some measly psychotic pyreflies, not if she had anything to say about it. Same went for the beautiful spirit and clever mind behind it.

Yuna prayed as she continued to send the pyreflies, not even having the strength to open her eyes to see if the pyreflies were actually flying away. She only hoped whatever she was doing was working, because the alternative was too dreadful to consider.

'_I won't lose him. I won't give up. I won't...'_

Warmth surrounded her as strong arms slowly enfolded her in their embrace. Eyes popping open, she desperately looked up into a baby-blue gaze, searching for and finding the light of love within the depths of those azure orbs.

Tidus smiled down at her, the last two pyreflies flying out of his back and disappearing into the ceiling.

"Hi," he said shakily, lifting one hand to wipe at the single tear that had escaped down her cheek. "Why are you crying?"

Yuna buried her face in his chest, trying to stifle the tears that poured out in the aftermath of the mental exhaustion. She knew she shouldn't be crying. It was only a silly little incident. Nothing bad had happened. He wasn't even hurt, not like the Den of Woe when she had been forced to fight Rikku and Paine.

"I'm not crying," she claimed, but realized it was pointless to deny it because her relieved tears wouldn't stop.

"You left me," she accused in a whimper.

"I didn't go anywhere," his whispered back, holding her close in comfort. He had been aware the whole time, but hadn't been able to stop himself from doing or seeing the workers' memories.

"You did. But I brought you back," she whispered, leaning on him for support. Her knees were threatening to buckle in the wave of dizziness that assaulted her. Breathing in his scent, she focused on pulling herself together.

Tidus gripped her tight, holding her upright in her weakened state. And it was while she was holding him tight that Tidus realized the significance. And suddenly, it meant so much more to him.

Yuna was in his arms. And they were together.

She wasn't falling through him. He was solid and unfading.

Never had he been happier to be at risk of Yuna breaking his ribs!

He pulled her even closer in the relief he felt, probably cutting off her air supply, but she made no objection. He nuzzled the hair at the top of her head, then sighed deeply in relief.

What had he been thinking? Falling through a table and fearing he was fading again?

What a ludicrous idea!

Of course he was real. Because Yuna loved him, he was alive and here in Spira.

With her.

It was just a fall. Just a stumble for not watching where he was going.

How could he think anything was wrong when Yuna held him like this? The universe was balanced and the world was at rights. He was normal and fine and completely all right.

Whatever paranoia had seized him and made him hallucinate on the bridge had just been a mind trick. A nightmare, really, and the daylight chased them away to bring back hope and happiness.

Yuna was that light. She was his life and her love saved him from the abyss of nothingness.

He wasn't going to fade away like before. He was here to stay and that was the way it was going to be.

He pressed gentle kisses to the top of her head, slowly pushing her back so he could work his lips down her face. Yuna responded eagerly, needing the conformation that this was really her Tidus back in her arms.

"The summoners! That's how they controlled the pyreflies and the missiles!" Shinra interrupted suddenly, making them both jump.

Tidus and Yuna looked over at him, having forgotten the other three were still in the room. Neither of them let go of their embrace.

Shinra was holding up one of the metal rockets. A small door flipped up from the metal body. From the hidden compartment, Shinra pulled a dried moonlily out with two fingers.

"The moonlilies would attract pyreflies and the summoners would navigate the rocket directly to the target," he said in fascination. "Brilliant, just brilliant."

"Yuna, if we started mass producing these things, you and the other summoners could direct them," said Shinra excitedly.

"Direct them?" asked Yuna, uncertain. She was still feeling light-headed after the experimental sending procedure and didn't fully comprehend. If it meant this major crash afterward, the prospect of working with pyreflies again didn't exactly thrill her.

Tidus heard the disgust in her voice. "You could practice, baby. Make them really good at listening to you," he encouraged.

She turned back to him in disbelief. "But... what they just did to you..."

"It was an accident. Everything's fine now," he reassured her. "You could stop it from happening again if you can master whatever it is you just did right now."

He gave her one of his cheery smiles, completely genuine now. "Come on, you used to control those flying lights all the time."

Tidus was in a very optimistic mood. Now that he knew for certain he wasn't going to walk off into another cloud and never come back again, anything seemed possible.

"It wasn't that easy..." Yuna objected softly.

"You can think about it. She doesn't have to decide right now," Rikku interceded, seeing that being pressed for an answer was the last thing Yuna needed right now.

"Two new weapons in one day," said Gippal. "I'd say a job well-done! With the Loor pulsators and the pyrefly missiles, no enemy would dare mess with Spira."

Shinra retrieved the other fallen rocket and placed them back on the table with the others. His ideas began pouring out. "We'll have to harvest more moonlilies. And if we fill these with enough powder, we could take out an aircraft the size of those bomber planes. I wonder if the summoner staffs would give them more control."

"Oh boy, there he goes," Tidus chuckled. He turned from Shinra back to Yuna. She was glaring up at him. Shinra's battle plans had snapped her out of her daze.

Tidus responded with a puzzled look.

"You are _never_ going to jump in front of attacking pyreflies again," she commanded firmly.

"Yes, ma'am," he agreed readily.

"And you're never going to be a guinea pig for any other experiment either," she added.

His hand brushed her cheek. "I would never do anything to endanger this," he whispered.

It was obviously exactly what Yuna needed to hear, because the tension left her body and she smiled.

"Okay, Shinra. I'll do it," she told him. "But you will have to send someone to Besaid to pick up my Nirvana staff. I think I could navigate the pyreflies better if I had the staff."

"Excellent! We will have to begin-" the commsphere chirped "-right after this call."

It was Leblanc. "Y'all better get out here, loves. Noojie wants you to talk to that Lucil woman."

"Lucil? Did she find anything?" asked Yuna, remembering the conversation on the Earthquake.

"She's in too much pain to say much of anything. But she made Noojie run off and start barking orders," Leblanc huffed. Obviously, contacting them had been the orders Nooj had given her. And commands, even coming from Nooj, never put Leblanc in a good mood.

"Don't keep us waiting," she ended the call.

Outside the Fireball

"It was terrible. Smoke as far as you could see, and the plains were still smoldering. And the screams..."

"Elma, please," Lucil interrupted. The poor girl buried her face in her hands and huddled in her spot on the ground. Her clothes were torn and her face was dirty, she looked just as bad as the Bevelle residents who had survived in the aftermath of the attack.

"It was another attack?" demanded Paine.

Lucil shot her a glance. "More like a fire storm." She was being treated for multiple burns on her arms and legs, but she wasn't sitting still long enough for the potions and salves to take much effect.

"We have to get back out there. There are still people fleeing the Calm lands. The Loor was already so high... we have to get them out!" Lucil cried. "We'll need chocobos and flamethrowers-"

"Slow down, Lucil," Yuna commanded, stopping the commander from jumping out of her seat again. "Now start from the beginning and tell us everything."

Lucil took a deep breath, fighting her battle-honed instinct to act and instead reached for the patience to bring the others up to speed.

"The southern pass is clogged with nomads fleeing the Calm Lands, which have been scorched of all life. There were men in uniforms, and they were lighting the fires, tormenting the refugees!

"And on the western border, coming out of the Fayth scar, was a Loor forest almost half the height of Mt. Gagazet. And it was spreading quickly over the fire-cleared land.

"When we tried to confront the arsonists, they disappeared into the Loor. We tried to help, but there was little our small party could do."

"Was there any sign of the Ronso?" Yuna asked softly. Lucil's shook her head, but Yuna was not too concerned. The Ronso were strong, and there wasn't the slightest doubt that they would survive.

"Don't worry about the Loor, Nooj knows how to deal with it. He's probably already got the airships loaded with gas tanks and ready to spray the Calm Lands. We'll roast the Loor the same way we did before," Tidus said confidently.

"You can't fly over the Loor," Lucil objected. "All the machina stopped working the moment we got within a hundred feet of the Loor. It's only because we were riding chocobos that we were able to flee when we could. Our guns did no good."

"The machina? It must be the same frequency jam as the commspheres!" exclaimed Rikku.

"But what about the arsonists? How were they able to escape into the Loor?" asked Yuna.

"We do not know. The branches parted for them when they entered, but attacked us when we tried to pursue them," Lucil responded.

"I think it's safe to say the Loor is being used against us," remarked Gippal from his hovering chair.

A chocobo rider approached their gathering and Clasko jumped from the bird's back. "Commander Lucil, the Calm Land refugees have been taken to the healers and given shelter for the night, but apparently, Mevyn Nooj is evacuating all civilians."

"The Mevyn knows best," Lucil acknowledged.

"I need to get back to my chocobo farm. Those birds are vicious when they need to be, but even they won't be able to hold out for long," said Clasko.

"Not to mention we will need all the chocobo mounts we can muster," said Lucil. She staggered to her feet, shrugging off the helping hand of the White Mage. "We need to gather the Youth League forces. Come along, Elma."

Elma was still hunched over, whatever she had seen had upset her beyond her proud nature.

It was Clasko who knelt down and rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Even though Elma was considered the toughest of Lucil's pupils, and she had always looked down on Clasko as more of a young brother figure, Elma unexpectedly threw herself into his arms and found comfort there.

Clasko hesitantly patted her back, baffled at finding himself in this position. After all the years he and Elma had spent as trainees under Lucil, it was the first time he had ever had Elma turn to him for emotional support, and he was not about to lose the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

When he remembered Lucil and her orders, he looked up quickly, but found that he and Elma had been left alone. Elma was free to vent her emotions out to her old classmate without increasing the regret she would feel later for having her superiors see her cry.

The others had left the two old friends together in hopes that they would finally advance from classmates into something more meaningful.

Next day on the Tsunami

"Yuna, come meet our new pilot," Tidus called from the bridge.

Yuna stuffed the new dresssphere in her pocket and walked through the doorway. The new Al Bhed crew buzzed around the bridge, preparing the ship for take-off. Tidus stood at the front of the main consol with familiar-looking man.

"Rammu, Myto Yuna," said Leto with a small bow. The Al Bhed boy had several bandages yet along his forehead and a nose brace, but he was smiling brightly and looking sharp in his new uniform.

"Leto?"

He snapped to attention. "Oac. I fly Tsunami to Calm Lands," he claimed.

"And he's learning a few other tricks at the same time," Tidus chuckled to Yuna's shocked response.

Yuna fumbled for the right words. "Oui... ghuf du... vmo Tsunami?" (you... know to... fly)

"Oac, long time" Leto said with a proud grin. "I learn for Myto Yuna."

Yuna blushed at the idea that this boy had deliberately set out to fly the sky-yacht at a chance to serve her.

"Well, captain, fa dnicd oui," said Yuna with a small salute.

"Oac, mad'c vmo, captain," Tidus agreed, draping his arm around Yuna's shoulders.

Leto saluted again, his proud grin taking up his whole face. "Thanks yous!"

The boy turned and took his seat in front of the large windshield. His fingers confidently ran over the consol and hit the different buttons and switches. "Du ouin cdydeuhc," he ordered, and the crew members darted to their respective places.

Both Yuna and Tidus watched the first take-off of the Tsunami as their own ship. The ruins of Bevelle fell from beneath them, getting smaller and smaller, until there was nothing but the blue sky taking up the view. Conducted by Leto's capable steering, the ship smoothly glided into the sky.

"Ehlusehk lymm," said Leto, looking toward the pair of them, an indication that the words must have been for them.

"Umm, what?" asked Yuna.

"Gippal," said Leto, pointing to the commsphere at the communication desk.

"Oh, 'incoming call.' " Tidus stepped forward and answered it.

"So, Leto didn't crash. Hela dyga-uvv," said Gippal as his face appeared on the commsphere screen.

"Gippal, E'mm lnycr drec drehk ev oui'na hud hela!" Rikku warned from somewhere behind him. (I'll crash this thing if you're not nice)

"Right. So we're right behind you and will see you at the southern pass, if Rikku doesn't kill us before we get there." Gippal muttered the last part under his breath.

"You're letting her drive?" asked Tidus incredulously.

"I do not 'let' her do anything. She makes the rules," grumbled Gippal. "I'll see you in two hours," and he ended the call.

"Good work, Leto," said Tidus, clapping the boy on the shoulder. Leto turned and gave the High Guardian a prideful smile before turning back to his work. The rest of the crew members were finishing the last of the take-off protocol. Yuna watched as they started drifting off through the bridge's various doors, off to complete other tasks required aboard the large airship.

"Roofreshment, Laddy Yoona?" said a voice at Yuna side. Looking down, she saw an unfamiliar hypello with a tray of assorted drinks.

"Um, no thanks," she said politely.

"I'll take a drink, Cuppy," interrupted Tidus, snatching one of the bottles off the hypello's tray. "Yuna, this is Cuppy. And as of this morning, she's a part of the Tsunami family," he explained before taking a long gulp of his drink.

Cuppy bobbed her head over the teetering tray. "Ish shush an honor to sherve Laddy Yoona and Shir Tidush."

"Well, welcome aboard Cuppy. I hope we become good friends," said Yuna.

Cuppy bobbed her head again and then moved off to Leto's chair. "Roofreshment, Shir?" she said while offering the tray to the captain.

Yuna grabbed Tidus' arm and pulled him off the bridge and down the hall toward their chambers. "Since when do we have servants bringing us drinks?" she demanded.

Tidus had to move his feet quickly to prevent spilling his drink as she yanked him along beside her. "Oh Yuna, that's not the half of it. There have been so many people coming up to me asking for the 'privilege' of working aboard the airship of the High Summoner and Guardian. I had to turn so many away and see their disappointed faces."

"B-but, why did you hire Cuppy?" '_And how did you find out she was a girl?'_ It had taken the Gullwings months to determine the differences between Darling and Barkeep alone.

"She told me she had no interest in her father's trading post and was looking for another job. And Barkeep told me she was a good girl that will keep the ship in good shape. And then, Mickie positively adores her."

"And who is _Mickie_?" asked Yuna in exasperation. They had reached the door to their suite. Yuna led the way into the large, circular sitting room and shut it behind Tidus.

"He's the new cook. Old Youth League scout. Says he's used to preparing large delicious meals for big camping parties, and we have a big staff to feed now, you know." Tidus walked through to their bedroom and flopped down onto the bed. He lifted his bottle in a small salute to her before taking another drink.

"But... where are you finding these people?" asked Yuna feebly. She was feeling overwhelmed by Tidus' calm savvy insight to all the people on their new ship while she was still trying to figure out where all the bathrooms were.

"Well, Yaibal recommended Mickie for the job. It seems the poor guy had an accident with a coyote fiend a few months ago and couldn't do his scouting duties so well anymore. He was looking for a more domestic life anyway," said Tidus calmly. He was peering inside the contents of his drink as if gauging how much more he should drink.

'_And he's done background checks on all the new workers,'_ thought a bewildered Yuna. Where had he found the time or initiative to hire a staff for their new ship? She was feeling very inadequate when she realized how much work he had been doing.

"How come you didn't tell me about this?" she asked weakly. Why hadn't he discussed any of this with her? She felt like she should have been helping him.

"You've been busy with Nooj and Baralai, doing High Summoner stuff. I just took care of all the small details while you were dealing with the big problems," he explained matter-of-factually. Now he was looking at her confused, wondering why she was making such a big deal over the staff of their ship.

Yuna felt even more insignificant. High Summoner stuff? She had been making calls to leaders around Spira and meeting with groups of people to offer support. It was hardly challenging work. Usually everyone calmed down the moment the people saw her face. Without even opening her mouth, she had an assuring affect on people's views and emotions.

And while she knew what she was doing benefited everyone for united harmony, it took little more than enduring a public appearance, barely any effort at all. Not like Nooj and Baralai who were working so hard to keep rivaling parties together. All she had to do was stand there and look pretty.

She felt her status as summoner had demoted her to the pettiest role of all. This was exactly why she hadn't wanted to return to her High Summoner duties. She had discovered she was capable of so much more, and these political maneuvers were too trival for her patience now.

Like always, Tidus seemed to detect her sour mood, and like always, he knew just what to say to cheer her up.

"Were the suspicions against the Guado dropped?" he asked.

"Uh, yes," she responded. When she had stood up with Tromell, not one person present had dared accused the Guado leader of bringing the Loor from Guadosalam's woods.

"And Issaru finally agreed to help work the Flower Power rockets, didn't he?"

That had taken a little more effort: an entire smile and a question asking for his help. And in the end, Issaru had agreed to pick up his staff again and learn how to direct Shinra's moonlily missiles. Or Flower Powers as Rikku had fondly dubbed them.

"Good, because, you know, we are all depending on you and the other summoners with those Flower Powers," said Tidus encouragingly, his golden smile beaming at her. "Besides, I always thought you were a better fighter than a diplomat, anyway."

Yuna then realized something. Even though countless people were depending on her to lead them into a new age of peace, it was Tidus who making this job and her life manageable. Without him, even the small details of picking out a staff would be driving her to the brink of insanity.

And he was taking it all in stride, patiently waiting for the day when they could live their lives together, but doing what was expected of him in the meantime. She didn't know how she had ever gotten so lucky to win his heart, but his dedication to her had become a cornerstone of her existence.

Hopefully, one day soon, when there were no more threats to Spira and the party leaders didn't need her to delegate their negotiations, then they could look back at this time as equals. Not as a busy Summoner leaning on her Guardian for support, but just as Tidus and Yuna. Simply them, and no one else.

Well, she might reconsider if maybe those 'elses' happened to be little Tiduses...

She pulled out her new dressphere before her mind went down that path. Now was not the appropriate time.

"Leblanc gave this to me before we left. She said her seamstresses had to take a break from her wedding dress because Nooj wanted this to be priority," Yuna explained. Apparently, Nooj expected Yuna to be turning up at a lot more delegation meetings, and she needed to look like a proper High Summoner.

"I'm quite sure it was a terrible sacrifice on her part. Have you tried it on yet?" asked Tidus, placing his empty bottle on the nightstand.

She looked up from examining it. "I'm a little afraid to," she said with a tentative smile. And if the outfit turned out to be as scarce as she predicted, then maybe changing in front of Tidus wasn't a good idea.

"Wait here," she ordered, and disappeared into the bathroom. Placing the dressphere in her Unerring path garment grid, she activated the dress switch. A bright blue light could be seen in the slit under the door of the bathroom as Tidus watched.

"Well, how bad is it?" he asked through the door.

"Umm..." came back Yuna's answer.

"Come on out, 'fraidy cat," he taunted. "And I'll decide whether or not to send you out into public."

The door opened. "Well, thanks for making my own decisions," she said sarcastically, but the skeptism in her voice hinted that she was heavily depending on his opinion.

She shyly stepped out of the bathroom and into his sight. Running her hands down the front of her outfit nervously, she kept her eyes on her new boots. When he made no comment, she was forced to meet his gaze.

The dressphere was a slight combination of her old summoner's dress and her new gunner's outfit. Feminine and pretty, but more practical than the traditional Yevon standards.

A half white, half turquoise tube-top covered her upper torso, but left her midriff bare. The turquoise band on the top half matched the slim bands at the top of the suspended white sleeves covering her arms, so it looked like the unattached sleeves hung off the turquoise fabric of the top. The sleeves came down to her wrists and flared slightly, but they weren't dangling furisode sleeves like before.

A dark blue half skirt wrapped around her hips and clasped at the top, parting down the front and showing off the white mini skirt beneath. The blue skirt ended at mid-calf. And white laced-up boots came up to her knees.

She was more covered in this outfit than the gunner dress, but it allowed for freer movement and was just slightly provocative enough to demonstrate she was not a child. Tidus thought she looked more grown up in the outfit, but her uncertain expression made her look like an innocent girl in all that white.

The look in his wide eyes nearly scalded her with their intensity. She squirmed under his perusal, still uncertain about how to react to the dressphere, and Tidus found it even more adorable than the outfit already made her.

"Wow," he said at last. Words seemed to have deserted him.

" 'Good' wow or 'that's way too much' wow?" she asked.

" 'Perfect' wow," he said with a warm smile. "You look... stunning."

"Really?" she asked, looking down at the dress again. Walking over to the mirror in the corner of the room, she regarded herself with more critical eyes. "You don't think it's too..."

"No, it's perfect," Tidus said again. He came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "_You_ are completely perfect."

She stared at herself while Tidus' hands ran small circles over her bare shoulders. His touch was relaxing, and she had to agree that the outfit was a lot better than she had initially thought, but she couldn't help but feel something was missing.

"What's wrong?" asked Tidus when it was apparent his shoulder massage wasn't distracting her the way he had hoped.

"I'm not sure," Yuna admitted. "I just- I miss the gunner outfit. It just doesn't look like me."

His hands slid down around her middle and pulled her back against his chest. His chin hooked over her shoulder and his eyes met hers eyes in the reflection of the mirror. She rested her hands atop of his while they both contemplated their new appearances.

Yuna found the image they casted exquisitely dashing. His black and blue armor was setting off the white silk fabric of her dress, creating a striking contrast between their two new outfits. Yet he was the one who possessed the bright hair and contented smile, while her dark hair and trepid expression were at odds with the pure white she wore.

Black and white. Night and day. Both of them having half the pieces of each opposite. And together, they made up the whole.

"I know what it needs," said Tidus, pressing a soft kiss to her creamy shoulder. His hands slid from her waist to his neck. He lifted his Zanarkand Abes necklace over his head, then lowered the silver chain over her own head. Yuna held her breath as the symbol came to rest right in the middle of the turquoise band of her top.

"There. Now it's perfect," he said satisfied, wrapping his arms around her again and waiting for her response.

Yuna lifted the silver necklace, looking at the intricate symbol that was as much a part of him as his gold locks or teasing smile. She had worn this symbol on her gunner's outfit in honor of him, and as a reminder to herself why she had become a Gullwing in the first place.

"I can't accept this," she said faintly.

"Of course, you can," he said. "You just don't look the same without it anymore."

Now that he had returned, it seemed fitting that she would shed the symbol from her person. Why would she need the remembrance when she had the real thing in her arms? But the gesture he made, giving up his precious possession to her, was more cherishing than she could have imagined.

She would keep it, and wear it, because it was his and she cherished him with everything in her. She turned around in his arms and slid her own around his hips. "Thank you," she whispered, placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

It was a soft and quick kiss. Their lips parted and they looked at each other, love and tenderness brimming over their faces and every feature.

"Hey, did you get shorter?" she suddenly questioned. He had always been a head taller above her, forcing her to look up into the deep blue of his eyes, but now she was almost level with nose.

Tidus chuckled. "You're wearing wedge-heel boots, baby."

"I am?" she looked down at her footwear, black laces in dust-free white boots. The heels making her stand a few inches taller.

He cupped her chin and lifted it again. "Just the right height to do this." His lips descended to hers again.

"Remind me to thank Leblanc for this little number," he said softly.

Yuna gazed into his eyes, the depths of his ocean-blue eyes robbing her of her apprehension and coherent thoughts. Her hand came up and held his wrist as it cradled her head and they kissed deeply again. Pulling each other closer, relishing in the feeling of the other's touch, they shifted their mouths against each other in a demanding battle.

"It's called the Lady dressphere," she whispered. Whether or not he heard her was not a main concern of hers at that second, only the moment in time when his lips touched hers was the instant she wanted to preserve forever. Her fingers gripped his hair and urged him on.

The two lovers were lost in each other at that moment. In the kiss, in their arms, in their loving touch...

Their future might be uncertain, but the strength of their love was all the faith they needed that they would have eternity together.

Two hours later

Tidus and Yuna stood on the bridge again. Both of them making a striking pair in their new clothes, but it was the resolution and confidence about them that radiated to everyone who saw them.

No one would recognize them as the ameatur sword fighter and infant summoner they had been almost four years ago when they had first spoken at a bonfire on Beseid Island. They had grown so much, molded by the crisis and disaster that had dogged their heels for most of the last four years.

Through the loss of friends, aeons, religion, through their separation, and all through the metamorphosis of the new era, one thing that had always remained steadfast and constant was the strong teamwork and commitment they had together.

It was that special power that had seen them through thick and thin, and they relied on it now as they went to face the dangerous unknown yet again.

"We're flying awfully close to the ground aren't we?" remarked Yuna as she looked out the great windshield. "Look, we're almost level with the horizon."

The Whirlwind was playing with her peripheral vision outside the curved front window. Gippal and Rikku were soaring along side them at the same low height above the ground. Had both ships lost speed and altitude during the flight?

Tidus wrinkled his brow in concentration. He glanced over at one of the dials on Leto's control panal and then back out the window. "We're flying at the same altitude as usual," he remarked, but he too was considering the distant horizon.

"There's a call from the Whirlwind," said a voice behind them.

Yuna turned to see a middle-aged man hunched over the communication desk. His hair was brown and his body was slender and graceful, but he was wearing a walking brace on his right leg.

"Greetings, Lady Yuna. I am Mickie," the man fluidly introduced himself. "And I belief the Al Bhed princess is demanding your attention."

He activated the commsphere link. "Yunie, are you seeing this?!" came Rikku's excited voice.

"Seeing what? And why aren't we flying higher?"

"No, no. Yunie, you have to look out in front of us," Rikku replied eccentrically.

Yuna could see her cousin bouncing up and down in her seat, jerkily pointing outside her own windshield. The High Summoner turned and looked out on the land before them again, trying to see what was so important.

By her side, Tidus suddenly grabbed the railing in front of him and squeezed it tightly; his face was deadset with rigid lines. Anyone looking at him would think he was angry, but Yuna knew those particular lines meant he was frightened.

She turned to the large window again and scanned the landscape. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary. What was she supposed to be seeing?

"Wait, where's Mount Gagazet?" she wondered. It should be towering above everything else by this point, but only a small hill could be seen in the distant background.

And then she realized that small hill _was_ Mount Gagazet, and the surrounding lands had somehow been elevated.

No, it wasn't land that had been elevated. The terrain was not covered with grass, or chocobos, or fiends. It was a giant tangle of vines filling to the brim the valley of the Calm Lands, the gorge of the Faythscar, and climbing the sides of Mount Gagazet like a virus.

"_That_ is a lot of Loor," said Tidus.

"And _that_ is the understatement of the millennia," replied Gippal over the commsphere.

* * *

**Ohhh, they're all grown up! Sun and moon shining over their world. *Cries***

**Don't stress over the mechanics of Gippal's chair. It hovers like the cruiser in Star Wars: A New Hope. I don't know how, it just does!**

**And Yuna's outfit, I have it sketched out and I might put it on deviantart if I can figure out how to scan it in. I couldn't quite draw Tidus' armour cause I can't draw men, sorry!**

**What else... Oh Clasko and ELma. I didn't put a lot of effort into it, but I wanted another relationship outside the main characters. I'm still thinking about making Buddy and Shelinda an item, but it's a little late for it. Oh well.**

**Leave reviews please! And Happy Holidays everyone! (You can wish me merry Christmas)**


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